Crime and Punishment in Suburbia is a 2000 film directed by Rob Schmidt and starring Monica Keena (as Roseanne Skolnick), Ellen Barkin (as Maggie Skolnick), Michael Ironside (as Fred Skolnick), James DeBello (as Jimmy) and Vincent Kartheiser (as Vincent).
This is a contemporary fable loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Roseanne (Monica Keena) is outwardly a perfect and popular teen, who suffers from a dysfunctional home life. Her mother (Ellen Barkin) begins an affair with a local man (Jeffrey Wright) and leaves her to live alone with her alcoholic stepfather (Michael Ironside). One night during an alcohol-fueled rage, Roseanne is raped by him. Sullied and traumatized, she decides to take things into her own hands. With the participation of her devoted and clueless boyfriend Jimmy (James DeBello) the twosome murder her stepfather in retribution, but Roseanne's conscience quickly begins to unravel afterwards.
The story is narrated by one of Monica's fellow classmates, Vincent (Vincent Kartheiser), a boy who is as concerned with Roseanne's well-being as he is obsessed with her. As the plot develops he forges a relationship with her, consoling her and giving her advice while trying to point her toward redemption. In the end it becomes possible that he, perhaps, might be her only salvation.
This is a contemporary fable loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". Roseanne (Monica Keena) is outwardly a perfect and popular teen. However, her image is hiding the abuse at her stepfather's hands, and she decides to take revenge. The events that follow are a mix of dark humour and an exploration of modern morality as Roseanne faces not only a fellow suburbanite who knows, but her own conscience as well. Written by Anonymous
