Brigid Tierney

The Affliction -- When an ex-vigilante is confronted with his neighbors' domestic abuse, he avoids getting involved for fear of dredging up his own painful past.

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.

Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is sheriff of a Podunk New Hampshire town, and he's not doing well on the job. Debilitated from years of abuse by his malevolent father (James Coburn), Wade is an abject, drunken failure on the job and family fronts. But when a local businessman is mysteriously killed during a deer hunt, Wade sees the case as a path to redemption. Coburn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and Nolte was nominated for Best Actor.

A small town sheriff investigates the murder of a wealthy business man, which begins to threaten his personal and professional life.

A small town sheriff investigates the murder of a wealthy business man, which begins to threaten his personal and professional life.

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.