Film Review: In the Bedroom (2001)

about 1 year ago

(source: tmdb.org)

If you are going to switch your career from acting into directing, it helps if you have been directed by some of the grand masters of cinema. Todd Field has apparently learned a lot while playing piano player Nick Nightingale in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. He has applied some of those lessons to In the Bedroom, his 2001 drama and directorial debut, one of the most critically acclaimed films of its time.

The film is based on “Killings”, 1979 short story by Andre Dubus. Plot is set in Camden, small fishing town in Maine, where Matt Fowler (played by Tom Wilkinson), respected local physician, enjoys idyllic life with his wife Ruth (played by Sissy Spacek), director of local women’s choir. Their son Frank (played by Nick Stahl) is supposed to go at university in the autumn and study architecture, but he seems more interested in Natalie Strout (played by Marisa Tomei), older but attractive woman with whom he starts passionate romantic relationship. While Matt sees this as nothing more than innocent summer fling, Ruth disapproves of it, because Natalie has two children and inferior education and social status. Crisis escalates when Frank begins thinking that he should abandon university and become a fisherman only to remain close to Natalie. The real problem is Natalie’s violent ex husband Richard (played by William Mapother) who can’t stand Natalie having relationship with much younger man. Conflict between him and two lovers slowly escalate until the event that would destroy idyllic life of Fowlers and make spouses discover some unpleasant truths about themselves.

In the Bedroom had its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, where it was greeted by standing ovations, followed by critical acclaim, nominations for Oscars and surprisingly good box office results for a film that has premiere at prestigious festival. Yet, apart from Sissy Spacek winning Golden Globe for Best Actress in Drama, it failed to win big awards. This might be interpreted with Field not having enough clout among his peers, but also by rather dark and depressive subject. In the Bedroom at first glance looks like a typical Hollywood drama that depicts small town America and its seemingly idyllic way of life as a place full of hypocrisy, frustration and violence, and the marital bliss of Fowlers is shown to be an illusion that falls apart when confronted with real world. Yet, Field, who actually lives in a small New England town very much like portrayed in the film, takes an approach that is both realistic and clinical. Characters are well-written and probably the most devastating is the final segment, which shows that seemingly enlightened and liberal middle class people could, under some circumstances, succumb to primordial impulses that make them no different from blue collar troglodytes.

Those subjects are explored through series of brilliant character studies, with Field having great cast at his disposal. Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek again shows her incredible ability to play complex roles, in this particular case wife and mother that goes through terrible emotional ordeal. British Tom Wilkinson impresses not only through his transformation from seemingly laid-back middle class professional into man driven by desire for revenge, but also by his ability to handle American accent. Marisa Tomei is also good in her role, while Tom Cruise’s cousin William Mapother (best known for the role of Ethan Rom in TV series Lost) delivers chilling performance as a violent and possessive ex husband. Field obviously enjoyed working with fellow actors, but idea to let them display their skills to the fullest at times resulted with some scenes being slightly overlong. The choice of music could also have been better. But even with such minor flaws, In the Bedroom represents one of the best directorial debuts in past few decades.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)