Overview
A gripping tale of a man's unraveling as he confronts the darkness of his past.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- harrowing
- brooding
- serious movie night
- winter viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Nick Nolte’s volcanic lead performance and the film’s bleak, believable portrait of family trauma, though some found its low-key narrative unfocused.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wade’s alcoholism, rage, and collapse are explicitly linked to the abusive example set by his father Glen.
Northern New Hampshire’s winter snow and icy terrain surround Wade’s investigation and intensify his isolation.
Wade begins probing a fatal hunting accident but progressively loses mental acuity and psychological stability.
The hunting-accident mystery reveals patterns of abuse, alcoholism, resentment, and damaged family relationships.
Films like Affliction, and why
A Simple Plan
snowbound small-town crime, moral deterioration, and bleak psychological drama
The Sweet Hereafter
quietly devastating character study centered on family trauma and catastrophic violence
Winter's Bone
bleak rural noir exploring alcoholism, domestic abuse, and damaged masculinity
The Pledge
psychological crime drama about an investigator's obsessive descent and compromised judgment
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Schrader
- Release Date
- 1998-02-12
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (336)
Cast
- Nick Nolte
- Sissy Spacek
- James Coburn
- Willem Dafoe
- Mary Beth Hurt
- Jim True-Frost
- Marian Seldes
- Holmes Osborne
- Brigid Tierney
- Sean McCann
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Affliction about?
- A beleaguered New Hampshire sheriff’s investigation into a hunting death becomes a harrowing descent through alcoholism, inherited abuse, and psychological collapse.
- What is Affliction like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Affliction as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Affliction violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Affliction as moderate.
- What did critics think of Affliction?
- Critics broadly praised Nick Nolte’s volcanic lead performance and the film’s bleak, believable portrait of family trauma, though some found its low-key narrative unfocused.
- Which films are like Affliction?
- Films with a similar feel include A Simple Plan, The Sweet Hereafter, Winter's Bone, and The Pledge.
- How long is Affliction?
- Affliction runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Affliction?
- In United States, Affliction streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
