neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Human Stain
	Robert Benton Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Wentworth Miller, Jacinda Barrett, Harry Lennix, Clark Gregg, Anna Deavere Smith, Lizan Mitchell, Kerry Washington, Phyllis Newman 2003		Based on the novel by Philip Roth of "Portnoy's Complaint" fame, "The Human Stain" is a collaboration between Oscar-winning actors Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman and Oscar-winning director Robert Benton ("Kramer vs. Kramer"). It's a tragic, sensitively acted, socially incendiary drama/love story dealing with race, class and identity that eludes the great emotional power one would expect from the people involved in the project. Nevertheless, "The Human Stain" is a prestige film that almost demands one's respect and appreciation. Coleman Silk (Hopkins), a distinguished, patriarchal professor at a hoity-toity New England college, has a secret that he's kept for most of his life. When he's accused of racism and his career is jeopardized, the revelation of this secret might set things right, but the cost may be too high. Tormented, he turns to a writer (Gary Sinese) for friendship and an "inappropriate" young woman (Kidman) for love. If Hopkins and Kidman make for an odd romantic duo, it's forgivable, since their characters are no less mismatched. The film's lack of punch may be due to Silk's bottled-up, distant demeanor, but the message of tolerance in "The Human Stain" is indelible. With Ed Harris in a pivotal role.