Jamie passion and passionfruit!

From Todd Field, this film is another deep and darkish look at our relationships and gives us loads to think about.  It is also very well filmed and keeps us intrigued.  In one of her subtlest performances, Kate Winslet is Sarah, a suburban mother bringing up a bright little three year old and in a largely vacant relationship with her hotshot advertising husband.  She meets  (Patrick Wilson) at the local playground, a househusband who is supposed to be sitting for the bar but who can’t quite let go of his youth and become a responsible adult and is happy for his wife to pay the bills (Jennifer Connelly as a rather distracted and distant but loving mother).  They hit it off and an inevitable romance begins.  Another story revolves around a convicted sex-offender Ronnie (A brilliant Jackie Earle Haley) and the ultra conservative ex-cop Larry who is determined to hound him out of the neighbourhood.  The film tackles our relationship with sex-offenders head on, our attitude towards adultery.  It asks us to explore the difference between being happy and being responsible adults and whether the two are compatible in our culture. What are we entitled to as adults in contemporary Western society? It also asks us to revisit our beliefs about the way we judge others and to what extent we can stretch our limits in suburbia.  I liked the use of a voice over narrative that is often irritating.  Here it fits perfectly.  Likewise, the fact that the film moves on in a slightly non-linear fashion helps to keep our interest.  Apart from Winslet and the others mentioned, Noah Emmerich as the ex-cop, Phyllis Somerville as Ronnie’s mother and the Greek chorus of conservative mums make up a rich and intelligent film.

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