Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)

Dostoyevsky's novel by almost the same name is among my favorite books and it is one of my dreams to produce and adaptation of the story. For this reason, I am intrigued by the various screen interpretations that have come up, particularly The Machinist.

This one brings it into the south western suburbs of the U.S. and switches up the characters. The visual feel of the film adjusts to a teen audience and the issues, rather than being deeply philosophical as in the book, are more adolescent: sex, sex, coach, step-father, sex, drinking, cutting, stalking, and sex.

The crime in question comes very late in the film giving less time for the guilt-ridden punishment part. I enjoy some of the interpretations of the film, especially the relevance and currency of the story and the desensitization to violence in our times. However the most poignant aspects of the original story are only mentioned in passing: namely guilt, madness, desire for atonement, God's salvation. Maybe it just reveals how little I understand the current generation's ways of emoting these. The perpetrator simply zones out for the rest of the film after the murder.

Truth: Your sin shall find you out. We often need a prodding and assurance that confession is our best option.

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