The beginning of Tom Perotta's 2004 novel, "Little Children," warns, "Decent people beware."

This seems an apt caveat to a story about infidelity, sexual deviance and a pedophile: Please, "decent people," be careful not to taint yourselves with such things.

But apparently this warning did not get through to illustrious writer and director Todd Field, who decided to make a film out of the novel. Luckily, the resulting piece is an absorbing and ethically dubious social drama about a place familiar to most Americans — suburbia.

For those not acquainted with Field, his résumé prior to "Little Children" is marked by quality rather than quantity. In 2001, Field wrote and directed his debut film "In the Bedroom," which earned six Academy Award nominations and a spot on most critics' "best of the year" lists.

Returning to the screen this year to similar accolades with "Little Children," Field has established himself as a director with the engrossing cinematic adaptation of Perotta's satirical novel. Since its release early last November, the film has traversed the American art house circuit, earning much-deserved critical laud and, not surprisingly, three Academy Award nominations.

"Little Children," not unlike Field's previous effort, is a film about the psychological depths hidden beneath seemingly calm personas. For "In the Bedroom," that persona was a family trying to feign normality in the wake of their son's death. In "Little Children," it's the unblemished fa?