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.

Based on a novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a bleak New England tale of a man trying to come to terms with abuse and corruption. As a policeman investigating a hunting accident, Wade Whitehouse is almost brought down when he attempts to preserve the town and what's left of his family. In the process it becomes clear that he is made powerless when fighting these inferior elements with the skills he learned from his violent, alcoholic father, played brilliantly by an Oscar-winning James Coburn.

AFFLICTION was filmed outside Montreal in harsh farmland.

Novelist Russell Banks said he saw Wade as "a kind of classic Greek hero."

Banks agreed that only Paul Schrader could direct the adaptation of his book.

Excerpt: "I think there's some dirty business going on in this town."--Wade (Nick Nolte)

"At least I was never afflicted by that man's violence."--Rolfe (Willem Dafoe) "That's what you think."--Wade

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Trailers
Interactive Features:
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Nick Nolte: American actor, AFFLICTION
James Coburn: American actor, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN/AFFLICTION
Sissy Spacek: Oscar winning actress, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER
Willem Dafoe: American Actor
Mary Beth Hurt: Married director Paul Schrader
Jim True: American Actor

Paul Schrader: Screenwriter, director

Linda Reisman: Producer

Michael Brook: Composer

Jay Rabinowitz: Editor

"...The meatiest performance of [Nolte's] career....Exquisitely shaped, paced, painted, and edited..." -- Rating: A
"...[Nolte acts] with fierce, anguished intensity....[He] gives the performance of his career in Paul Schrader's quietly stunning new film..."
"...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..."
"...Nolte is at his riveting, ravaged best..."
"...[AFFLICTION] boasts a central performance of unmatched rawness and conviction..."
"...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..."
"...Beautifully shot....Schrader's deeply felt film concludes with an image that pays homage to Tarkovsky's THE SACRIFICE..."
"...Intense....This is a great performance by Nolte....AFFLICTION is one of the year's strongest dramas..."
"...[James Coburn gives] what may be the best performance of his career..."