Affliction MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -3

Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is the lone policeman in Lawford, New Hampshire, and is really nothing more than a glorified traffic cop. He has a strained relationship with his ex-wife and his preteen daughter, but life becomes even more tenuous when Evan Twombley (Sean McCann), a rich Massachusetts businessman, is mysteriously killed on a hunting trip. If that weren't enough, he struggles in his relationship with his girlfriend Margie Fogg (Sissy Spacek) and his mother dies suddenly. This final incident leads Wade to move in with his aging father, Glen (James Coburn), who is an alcoholic and who beat up on Wade as a child. This puts even more strain on Wade as he tries to mend his relationship with his daughter and tries to find out what exactly happened on the mysterious hunting trip. All the while, Wade seems to continually be on the brink of becoming just like his father- a drunk and a wife beater.

Affliction is a dark drama that centers on the damaged relationship of a grown son and his father. The film will have appeal to adults who can relate to their difficult relationships with aging parents. This film is refreshing in that it lacks a barrage of sexual content unlike many of today's R rated films. But unfortunately, the characters in this film, particularly Wade, have a vocabulary that seems to be unable to avoid profanity, bombarding the viewer with 44 regular profanities. The characters also speak 35 f-words, 18 s-words, and 44 crudities. It also seems that in every scene someone is drinking or smoking. Also, one scene portrays"born again Christians". These people and their beliefs are portrayed as completely inconsiderate of people's feelings. In this anti- Chtistian scene, Christians attend a funeral and don't seem to care at all for the family's loss but are instead making everyone answer questions about salvation. This film, while it has the beginnings of a good story, is greatly damaged by its constant foul language, drug abuse, and a mocking attitude toward Christianity.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: Lion's Gate Films, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 501, Los Angeles, CA 90036