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Britt Robertson and Kelly Preston in "The Tenth
Circle"
courtesy of Lifetime
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“The Tenth Circle” (Lifetime)
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. She has written many books that have been made into movies. “Plain Truth” and “The Pact” were both Lifetime movies and “My Sister’s Keeper” will soon be released as a major Hollywood film. Lifetime is also where you can see the film adaptation of Picoult’s novel “The Tenth Circle.”
The film centers on the Stone family. The mother, Laura (Kelly Preston), is a professor at the local college. The father, Daniel (Ron Eldard), is a stay at home dad who is also an artist for graphic novels. They have one child, a daughter named Trixie (Britt Robertson), who is fifteen.
Trixie has a boyfriend. So does Laura. Everyone knows about Trixie’s boyfriend. They do not know about Laura’s. This secret comes out on a night when Trixie is assaulted. Daniel is the first to get the news and he can not reach Laura to let her know. Laura’s guilt over not being available plays a crucial role in the outcome of this story.
In truth THE TENTH CIRCLE was not one of my favorite Picoult books, and this adaptation of her story is weak at best. It takes the basic plot and pares it down to fit in the time frame allotted for a Lifetime movie. Any character development is sacrificed for brevity.
You never get to know the characters or their motivations. Since the story involves rape, infidelity and suicide the motivations are pretty important. Plus Preston, Eldard and Robertson are such good actors they make you want to know the people they are portraying.
The one thing the movie does right is capture the winter bleakness of the town in which this story is set. The cold seems to permeate the characters and makes them a little claustrophobic in their feelings and their actions. It is very appropriate that the last line of the movie says something about the snow that is falling.
As a simple mystery “The Tenth Circle” plays out okay, but it loses the nuances and individuality the book set forth. The whole section about Daniel and Trixie’s return to Daniel’s homeplace is missing in the screenplay.
“The Tenth Circle” is one of Jodi Picoult’s weaker novels. This movie is less entertaining than the book.
“The Tenth Circle” premieres on the Lifetime Channel Saturday, June 28 at 9PM. |
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©2008 Jackie K. Cooper |
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