The Human Stain

The Human Stain is a 2003 drama film directed by Robert Benton. Its screenplay, by Nicholas Meyer, is based on the novel of the same name by Philip Roth. The film stars Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris. Plot In the late 1990s, writer Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise) has settled in a lakeside New England cabin following his second divorce and a battle with prostate cancer. His quiet life is interrupted by Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins), a former dean and professor of classics at local Athena College, who was forced to resign after being accused of making a racist remark in class. Coleman's wife died suddenly following the scandal, and he wants to avenge his loss of career and companion by writing a book about the events with Nathan's assistance. The project is placed on the back burner when Coleman has an affair with Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman), a considerably younger, semi-literate woman who supports herself by working menial jobs, including at the college. Their relationship is threatened by the faculty members who forced Coleman from his job and by Faunia's ex-husband Lester (Ed Harris), a mentally unbalanced Vietnam War veteran who blames her for the deaths of their children in an accident. Flashbacks of Coleman's life reveal to the audience his secret: he is an African-American who has "passed" as a white Jewish man for most of his adult life. Cast Anthony Hopkins as Coleman Silk Wentworth Miller as young Coleman Silk Nicole Kidman as Faunia Farley Gary Sinise as Nathan Zuckerman Ed Harris as Lester Farley Jacinda Barrett as Steena Paulsson Mimi Kuzyk as Delphine Roux Clark Gregg as Nelson Primus Anna Deavere Smith as Dorothy Silk Phyllis Newman as Iris Silk Mili Avital as young Iris Silk Harry Lennix as Clarence Silk Tom Rack as Bob Cat Lizan Mitchell as Ernestine Silk Danny Blanco-Hall as Walter Silk Kerry Washington as Ellie Margo Martindale as Psychologist