nan | 楠木

The Human Stain, adapted from the book of the same title, is a serious drama that covers a range of topics (racism, love, sex). It is certainly an ambitious film, but the end product does not carry as much impact as the source material suggests.

Anthony Hopkins is Coleman Silk, dean of Athena college, is forced to resign after being accused of racism. The incident also lead to the death of his wife (heart attack). Devastated, Coleman begins an ill-advised affair with the much younger Faunia (Nicole Kidman), a woman whose life has been a train-wreck and who’s being stalked by her crazy ex-husband Lester (Ed Harris).

The film is split into two streams: Coleman’s struggling affair with Faunia, where he struggles with the prejudices of social class, and a flashback narrative into the life of the young Coleman (Wentworth Miller, before he started breaking out of prison and into the hearts of millions of girls worldwide), who holds an even greater secret – he is actually from an African American family, but he chose to pretend to be white due to his lighter complexion.

The irony is indeed powerful – an African American fired for racism, but like most of the themes of this film, it is not delivered in an engaging format to the audience. Coleman and Faunia both lead tragic lives, but the audience is never made to care about them (or their futile efforts at changing their lives). Instead, the film rolls on in its own slow, detached pace. It is probably rude to say so, but not having read the book, I find this film more akin to an introductory piece on its source material rather than a standalone work of art.

6/10