Little Children

Some excerpts from Christianity Today's review of the movie "Little Children":

Ever wonder why moths flutter around bright lights at night and ask, "Don't they know that they'll burn themselves up?"

And yet, so many of us play out the same sad drama. Restless with longing, we respond to dangerous temptations and indulge misguided passions. And then we—and sometimes our families—pay for it.

This metaphor comes to vivid life in Todd Field's riveting new film Little Children. Working from a screenplay that he and Tom Perrota adapted from Perrota's novel, Field paints a deeply disturbing picture of a cozy New England neighborhood in which everyone is pursuing happiness in misguided ways.

In fact, the movie will be too disturbing for some, because it is unflinchingly truthful about sins such as lust, sexual infidelity, and pedophilia. And while Perrota's story is profoundly moral, Field brings it to life in illustrations so explicit that some viewers may be led into temptation themselves.

Unfortunately, in his courage to expose the ugliness of sin with stark honesty, Field oversteps the bounds of propriety. He was smart to portray Brad and Sarah's sexual escapes as urgent, desperate grabs for happiness. But in doing so, he asks them to expose too much. For many this will be shocking, disrupting the flow of the film. For others, it will offer fuel for the fires of their own destructive fantasies.

That's a serious flaw in what is otherwise a profound work of art. Few films have been more truthful in showing us how our "secret sins"—those indiscretions we try to rationalize—are like weeds that take root, spread, and shatter our foundations.

Little Children does not conclude with a "happily ever after" ending. Field isn't interested in appeasing the audience's expectation for gushing confessions and teary-eyed reconciliation. That would be dishonest and unrealistic. Instead, he tells the truth. Our sinful appetites cannot be entirely eliminated in this lifetime, and thus none of us can boast. No relationships, vocations, or neighborhoods can solve our hunger for the sugar that will rot our teeth. And yet, if we allow the scorching glow of temptation to steer us away from our responsibilities, while we may experience fleeting jolts of happiness, we'll lose the opportunity for lasting fulfillment and joy.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that the film's tag line reads, "Let the little children come unto me."

See the trailer here.