Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)

Director:

Rob Schmidt

Writer (WGA):

Larry Gross (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Some kids have lots of time to kill.

Plot:

This is a contemporary fable loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". Roseanne is outwardly a perfect and popular teen...

Plot Keywords:

Abuse | Revenge | Orgasm | Prayer | Reference To L. Ron Hubbard

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Monica Keena	...	Roseanne Skolnick
Ellen Barkin	...	Maggie Skolnick
Michael Ironside	...	Fred Skolnick
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Vincent
James DeBello	...	Jimmy
Jeffrey Wright	...	Chris
Conchata Ferrell	...	Bella
Marshall R. Teague	...	Coach (as Marshall Teague)
Nicki Aycox	...	Cecil
Christian Payne	...	Dean
Anthony C. Chow	...	Teacher
Bonnie Somerville	...	Stuck Up Girl
Lucinda Jenney	...	Vincent's Mom
Jim Boyce	...	Mr. Dwyer
Matt Champagne	...	Counselor Lord

Also Known As:

Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (USA) (working title)
Crime and Punishment in High School (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence, strong sexuality, language and substance abuse.

Runtime:

100 min | Spain:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | France:U | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA

Company:

G2 Films

Quotes:

Prosecutor: Didn't you say that you... wished your husband was dead?
Maggie Skolnick: Yes.
Prosecutor: ...and when you... found the body...
Maggie Skolnick: Well, I was like...”What strange god did this?"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Reservoir Dogs' Revisited (2005) (TV)

Narcotically Haunting...

When I first heard about this being based on Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment I was fearful that it was going to be another half-hearted teen version of a classic. I am so glad I was wrong.

While Dostoyevsky made his point with words, Rob Schmidt did the same with the films imagery which truly was both narcotic and haunting. He would make you feel as if you were in some drug induced dream/nightmare. You felt as if you were trapped between Heaven and Hell, happiness and sorrow, love and loss.

As the story progresses you watch the ghosts of Roseanne (Monica Keena) slowly absorb her. She goes from this glowing image of beauty to a shadow of a human being. It's stark and disturbing. While Vincent (Vincent Kartheiser) the seemingly gloomy one, who loves her from the beginning of the film is the sole voice of reason, hope, and beauty in her slowly cascading world of tragedies.

The film epitomizes the continuous hopelessness that many today feel but refuse to acknowledge. Although, I think what the film does best is that it shows us these sadnesses while reinforcing us with the concepts that we can make anything happen if we want to badly enough. Good or bad, we are the only ones responsible for our fates.