It’s hard to say out of the five actors (Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle and Johnny Depp) who got nominated for the Oscar, which one I’d drop, but it seems a shame that Kevin Bacon did not get nominated for what is his best performance ever. This smart and even-handed look at a pedophile is human and haunting.
Walter (Bacon, FLATLINERS) has just been released from a 12-year prison sentence for molesting girls aged 10-14. He gets a job at a lumberyard, where he meets tough and forward gal, Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick, WHAT’S COOKING?). However, lumberyard secretary Mary-Kay (Eve, BARBERSHOP) is very leery of the new guy. Walter’s brother-in-law Carlos (Benjamin Bratt, MISS CONGENIALITY) visits him, but his sister refuses to. Sgt. Lucas (Mos Def, upcoming HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY) pays Walter visits as well, talking down to him like he is the scum of the Earth.
The key to the film is its desire to deal with the issue of pedophilia as a real topic and not paint Walter as a drooling monster. He has a problem and we feel pity for him because he is trying to do better. Yet the film does not paint Walter as a saint either. He’s angry, tempted and still harbors some justification for what he has done.
He happens to get an apartment next to a school, because it was the only one that would rent to him. His reactions to seeing another sexual predator, which he dubs Candy (Kevin Rice, SERENDIPITY), is quite telling. Mos Def delivers a great speech, which clearly shows the negative side of pedophilia cases, especially from a cop’s perspective. First-time feature director and writer Nicole Kassell shows great skill and maturity with the film. This isn’t an easy film to pull off, but she does so with great skill. This outstanding first film is also one of the best films of 2004.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
