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THE HUMAN STAIN Send This Review to a Friend
A highlight of the Toronto International Film Festival 2003 was "The Human Stain," scripted by Nicholas Meyer from Philip Roth's clever topical novel and directed astutely by the esteemed Robert Benton. Now that it has been released there have been some denigrating as well as favorable reviews. If you miss the film you'll be bypassing a movie of substance and rewards. Although it is not possible to capture Roth's acerbic writing style on screen, the story is exceedingly well transferred.
If you want Roth in pure form, you'll have to read the book. But this is a film, and emphasis is confined to three elements--politically correct absurdity, racial ambiguity and a love affair between an older man and a young woman. Anthony Hopkins gives a moving performance as Coleman Silk, the proud professor who resigns after being ridiculously accused of racism and all along has been harboring a secret about the life he has chosen.
Nicole Kidman, offering further proof that she not only is beautiful but an actress of great talent, provides an award-caliber performance as the young woman with whom the professor falls in love. Terribly abused in life, she is wary of any new relationship and warns the professor at the outset, "I don't do sympathy." Kidman's performance is brilliant as she veers between caution and commitment and wrestles with her character's vulnerability and needs. She does menial work, which has led to absurd comments that she is too gorgeous for the part. Nonsense. Don't we see beautiful women apart from in the upper classes?
There's also a reluctance to find credibility in a young woman falling for an older, not very attractive man. Really? Look around. The acting by Kidman and Hopkins in their smoldering, heartfelt relationship take care of any improbability. The stretch is greatest for Hopkins, given that he is English and the baggage of truth that he must be masking. However, Silk has been able to get away with what he is hiding (I don't want to spill his secret), so there is plenty of room for a stretch.
Ed Harris is harrowing as the young woman's crazed, rejected husband with a background of the horror of Vietnam, who is determined not to let her live in peace with another man. Gary Sinese is excellent as Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's stand-in, to whom Silk spills his story, and Wentworth Miller is convincing as the key young African-American whom we meet as part of learning the full picture of what's afoot in this compelling drama. There are other finely-tuned performances by a well-chosen cast, including Anna Deavere Smith, Jacinda Barrett and Phyllis Newman.
"The Human Stain" is a mature, nicely honed movie that has more to it than most of the other films around, even if it can't fully capture the rich prose and texture of Roth's novel. A Miramax Films release.
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