I met director Todd Field before the very first screening of Little Children
here at Telluride 2006. He was very nervous and didn't want to say a
thing about the film. I see now why he didn't. It was so important for
the experience to have no notion of what would happen in this film, and
I won't give anything away here.
Like his first film, In the Bedroom, Field creates unbelievable tension in the most understated moments. I described In the Bedroom as Field slowly winding a thin wire tighter and tighter. With Little Children,
it's like he's ratcheting the tension of a garage door coil. There are
moments I seriously wasn't sure I'd make it through. But what's unlike
any film I've seen before is how he breaks these tense moments with
hysterical comedy. He so deftly walks a tightrope between tragedy and
comedy, it's simply awe inspiring.
The legend of the sophomore film is when a first-time filmmaker has
a break out hit, the second film rarely lives up to the first. Not the
case with Little Children. Every moment is original, every
character so fully rounded. He even resurrects one of my favorite
actors from childhood. Jackie Earl Haley played Moocher in Breaking Away, one of my favorite movies. He hasn't been in a film since. His performance in Little Children lingers with you like few do.
Little Children is not for the faint of heart. I was
emotionally exhausted when it ended. But if you have the stamina, it's
so worth watching this director work.