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Reviews for Todd Field's new film Little Children are spreading farther and wider than movie itself.

While its appearances in film festivals and special critics' screenings have created quite a buzz, New Line Cinema is not doing much to promote the film just yet, and currently it's showing in just 32 theaters nationwide. That's unfortunate. Little Children is likely to earn a long list of Oscar nominations—if more people get chance to see it. Actors Kate Winslet and Jackie Earle Haley—and Field himself—all contribute to this film in award-worthy ways.

But this all sounds strangely familiar. New Line Cinema botched the distribution and promotion of two other heavy-hitters in the last couple of years—The New World and Birth—and thus, some superlative performances and breathtaking cinematography weren't discovered by a large audience until the DVDs arrived many months later. Something's broken that needs to be fixed.

Whatever happens, moviegoers who can reach one of those 32 screens will witness one of the most accomplished American feature films of recent years. 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.

This is Field's second film about the reckless pursuit of satisfaction. The first, In the Bedroom (2001), reminded us that our desire to judge and punish evildoers can easily lead us into evils of our own. Similarly, Little Children shows what can happen when we respond to disappointment and longing with childish recklessness.

But 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.

My full review is at Christianity Today Movies.

Brett McCracken (Looking Closer) says, "The film's strongest virtue is that vice, at the end of the day, does not prove to be as romantic or fulfilling as anything else. Suburban life may be mundane and—at times—soul crushing, but sometimes you just have to grow up and deal with it."

Mainstream critics are raving about it for all kinds of reasons.

Catch a Fire is the latest film from director Phillip Noyce, who brought us Patriot Games and The Quiet American, and it gives the talented young actor Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher, Pieces of April) his most demanding role yet.

Fire illustrates the troubled journey of Patrick Chamusso, a black man who endured persecution from the oppressive South African government in the early '80s, and then went on to participate in a violent uprising.

Christian film critics are cheering for the inspiring message of Chamusso's story, but they're not so impressed with the movie itself.

Christopher Lyon (Plugged In) says, "It's a powerful story well told … [The filmmakers do] much more than just make a grand political statement. Or just provide a two-hour history lesson. … [I]t registers on a personal level. … Catch a Fire ignites our God-given desires for justice, equality, freedom and peace."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says, "The film is an intelligent, if unevenly compelling, truth-based drama. … [F]rom an emotional standpoint … Catch a Fire never ignites." But he adds, "Luke continues to establish himself as one of the best young actors today."

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November (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50