October 5, 2008
"In the Bedroom" is a film that certainly doesn't have an overabundance of content. The treasure of the film is how little actually happens plot-wise, as the director Todd Field really relishes in the "little moments" and gets everything from typical suburban living to unfulfilli...( read more)ng marriages perfectly right. Aided by fantastic performances from the likes of Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, and Marisa Tomei - "In the Bedroom" is certainly a film that sets not to blatantly provide insight, rather explore the people in the story when confronted with tragedy.
A fairly average and seemingly content married couple, Ruth (Sissy Spacek) and Matt (Tom Wilkinson) Fowler, live in Camden, Maine raising their son Frank (Nick Stahl). Ruth is a music teacher and Matt is a doctor, however the heritage of the family is within the lobster business. Frank aspires to be the lobsterman that his grandfather one, informing his dad that sometimes these things "skip a generation". While Ruth is fixated on her professional career due to a major recital closing in, Matt seems to be a little bit more interested with Frank's lovelife with his newfound interest, Natalie Strout (Marisa Tomei).
Frank's an average young man, somewhere in his early twenties, but Natalie is in her thirties and already has two children from a previous marriage with William (William Mapother). Ruth opposes this relationship despite Frank's constant reassurance that it's simply a "summer thing". Matt approves, but only because he seems to be living vicariously through his son - proud of him finding an attractive older woman. As soon as the film seems to be settling down with the focal two contrasting couples, tragedy strikes. If you know anything about this film, i'm sure you've already been spoiled - but assuming you have not, i'll be as vague as possible to insure you get the most legitimate reaction from it. It's really an incredibly well staged and shocking turning point, and exceptionally unexpected seeing as how it comes as early as the end of the first act of the film.
I'm under the impression that the average movie goer would be completely immersed and satisfied with the first and third act of this film. There's constant development, interesting advancements in the story, and it's rather unpredictable. It's the middle portion, however, that I feel many people have the most trouble with. It's a strange film in that this seems to be what would happen after most films have already ended - the characters are left having to cope with tragedy rather than the film simple ending inconclusively. It's not hard to see logically where the story goes just under halfway through the film, however it's still compelling all the way through and it was a welcome journey.
Tom Wilkinson, who has been so great as of late especially in films like "Michael Clayton", really steals this movie and was a refreshing leading role. His character constantly evolves from a state of grief to the kind of anger that needs to have repercussions. The closing sequence is especially memorable due to how menacing Wilkinson is while still acting fairly reserved. Sissy Spacek is equally effective, and is a perfect match with Wilkinson. The husband-wife scenes are intense and memorable, even completely heartbreaking at times. Marisa Tomei's performance was wonderful as always, but I was disappointed we didn't get to see more of her later on in the film. Also, her inconsistent accent was a little bit distracting at times.
"In the Bedroom" is incredibly slow for about an hour or so and it seems to build no momentum - but surprisingly, I enjoyed these moments. It gets all the little details of the state of grief so well, and it's a film that truly understands what it's like to be in this sort of situation. My problem with the film, however, was the fact that I found the last sequence to almost contradict himself in a way. By humanizing the villain of the story, it's as if Field is making an anti-death penalty statement... but, that's not exactly made clear as we see the relief of Wilkinson and the healed wounds (by showing the bandaid coming off of the finger). I wasn't exactly sure what Field thought of what took place - it's good that it's left up to us, but at the same time I felt it lacked direction.
I was mildly let down by this film, and I found it to be fairly standard other than it's fantastic performances and distinct attention to detail. I like these "situational" movies more than "plot" movies - but this one really could have used a much more fine focus.
Share This Review
