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Affliction

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a middle-aged ineffectual sheriff in a small New Hampshire town, where he and his brother, Rolfe (Willem Dafoe), were raised. When events shatter the quiet of his small town, Wade is forced to confront the past and reexamine his life, attempting a reconciliation with his abusive, alcoholic dad, Glen (James Coburn), by moving back home to look after him. This quietly intense, haunting, and beautifully filmed story unfolds against the harsh snow-white backdrop of a town where everyone knows each other. But more than anything, it is the brilliant performances of its cast that mark this film.
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor 1998 James Coburn American actor, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN/AFFLICTION
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 8306-D
Credits

Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, Mary Elizabeth Spacek, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe, William Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Jim True
Critic Reviews

"...Nolte is at his riveting, ravaged best..."
Rolling Stone
"...[AFFLICTION] boasts a central performance of unmatched rawness and conviction..."
Sight and Sound
"...The meatiest performance of [Nolte's] career....Exquisitely shaped, paced, painted, and edited..." -- Rating: A
Entertainment Weekly
"...[James Coburn gives] what may be the best performance of his career..."
USA Today
"...[Nolte acts] with fierce, anguished intensity....[He] gives the performance of his career in Paul Schrader's quietly stunning new film..."
New York Times
"...Engrossing....Nolte, in peak form in one of the best performances of his career, is supported by a top cast....AFFLICTION is a gripping story..."
Box Office
"...Beautifully shot....Schrader's deeply felt film concludes with an image that pays homage to Tarkovsky's THE SACRIFICE..."
Premiere
"...Intense....This is a great performance by Nolte....AFFLICTION is one of the year's strongest dramas..."
Los Angeles Times
"...Nolte and Coburn are magnificent in this film....It is revealing to watch them in their scenes together....[Coburn] rises to occasion with a performance of power..."
Chicago Sun-Times