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 now see why he didn't. It was so important for the experience to not be colored by any 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 were moments I seriously wasn't sure I'd make it through. But what's unlike any film I've seen before is how Fields 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 in a way few performances 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's work.
