Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Human Stain

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Posted by Jeff Stuckey (Member # 1718) on 10-28-2003, 04:52 PM:

Hello again everyone.

I saw "THE HUMAN STAIN" this morning at a press screening, and must admit that I liked it more than I thought I would. Just by the looks of the poster I would have guessed this is some 2 hour sex romp between Hopkins and Kidman (and the thought of that really grossed me out). But instead, it turned out to really be a story about how you never really know everything about a person.

Hopkins plays a very honored professor and dean of faculty at the local college, and is put into controversy for using the word "spooks" in the classroom. He means to refer to ghosts, but it's read as a slang term toward African-American people. This one word ends up sending him on a downward spiral through the entire movie. And we start to find out more and more about his very secret past.

Kidman is really not so great in this, and I get the feeling that she just really loves to get naked anymore. Gary Sinese is great as the writer who is hiding from society, and is befriended by Hopkins to write his story. Ed Harris plays Kidman's psycho ex-husband, and is someone I don't want coming by my house anytime soon.

If you go to see this film, be prepared to be tossed around through time way way too much. Flashback after flashback, but in the end it all wraps up somewhat nicely. However I still think a few things were really left unanswered. Besides, they give away the big secret of the film about half way through it.

All in all, a good film. It's one of those that's not completely spelled out for you, and you can make some good conversation with friends.

Anxious to hear what you guys think. Thanks for the time.