Arlington Road on AllMovie

Washington, D.C. History professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), along with his young son Grant (Spencer Treat Clark), is recovering from the loss of his FBI-agent wife, killed by right-wing terrorists. As the family slowly recovers, the Langs, Oliver and Cheryl (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack) move in across the street. Michael and Oliver become friends, until the professor catches his new neighbor in some lies. Paranoia checks in as Michael determines if his "friend" is actually a terrorist or something else entirely. In his sophomore effort, director Mark Pellington (Going All The Way, video for Pearl Jam's "Jeremy") and screenwriter Ehren Kruger explore the effects of emotional trauma and loss as well as the two sides of radicalism. Even as Michael begins to date again, as when he sees Brooke (Hope Davis), he can't shake the loss of his wife, especially when he lectures about terrorism in his classes. Though when Michael becomes suspicious of inconsistencies about Oliver, he can't forget that this is the man whose son is the friend of his son. Similar issues were explored in director Costa-Gravas' Betrayed, with Debra Winger.