The Human Stain movie review

Directed by

Robert Benton
Featured cast

  • Anthony Hopkins (Coleman Silk)

  • Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley)

  • Gary Sinise (Nathan Zuckerman)
Ratings / Reviews

aelst's review

This movie has a good story. The main character is Anthony Hopkins, who plays an academic who is accused of a racial slur. He doesn't defend himself, and is ousted from the university. His wife dies on the same day. The rest of the story is him meeting up with an author in the woods, and he becomes involved with a younger woman, played by Nicole Kidman. Lots of character development and very good acting, but the twist is just too unbelievable for me.

3 out of 5 stars.

ratbag's review

Although advertised as a murder/mystery from the trailers, "The Human Stain" is actually a drama where the main character, Coleman Silk (played by Anthony Hopkins) attempts to cross both racial and class divides. It also shows the human cost of living a lie, even though it means it would give you more opportunities -- Coleman had cut himself off from his family, and denied his own heritage because a woman he loved had rejected him for what he really is.

With the death of his wife, Coleman's life takes on a different direction as he starts a new relationship with the janitor, and confronts his true identity -- thereby ending his so-call "normal", politically-correct life.

The plot moves along quite slowly, as this film is mainly about its characters. It can be anti-climatic at parts, as several scenes were set up to appear as if something tragic was about to happen, but it doesn't. When tragedy strikes, it occurs off-screen, or we don't see much of it.