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In the Bedroom (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:136
Fresh:128
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: Expertly crafted and performed, In the Bedroom is a quietly wrenching portrayal of grief.
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Todd Field's IN THE BEDROOM is an artistic and realistic portrait of domestic trouble in small-town America. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson star as Ruth and Matt Fowler, the parents of a recent... Todd Field's IN THE BEDROOM is an artistic and realistic portrait of domestic trouble in small-town America. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson star as Ruth and Matt Fowler, the parents of a recent high school graduate, Frank (Nick Stahl), who has an affair with a married woman, Natalie (Marisa Tomei). A tragic event near the beginning of the film seems to stunt its action and dialogue, allowing the film to change into a largely visual piece based on memories, feelings, and silent communication; while the film's slow-moving camera, soft sunny lighting, and cautious pacing give it a resonating intensity. Set in coastal Maine, the Fowlers are a well-liked family with simple, straightforward values. Dr. Fowler has his own small medical practice. Mrs. Fowler directs the chorus at the high school. Frank is a good kid who is working on the fishing docks for the summer, waiting for college in the fall. Frank falls into a summer romance with Natalie, an older woman with two young sons and a creepy, lurking husband (William Mapother) from whom she is separated. The relationship is worrisome to Mr. and Mrs. Fowler, but they want to be supportive of their son so they gently nudge him to think about the bigger picture, without being overbearing. But when the unthinkable happens, Mr. and Mrs. Fowler come face to face with their worst nightmare. Quietly, calmly, and with the most logic they can muster, they begin a dark and dangerous psychological journey. The result, reinforced by stunning performances from Wilkinson and Spacek, is a pensive, penetrating, and utterly believable story. [More]
Starring: Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl
Starring: Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl, William R. Mapother, Justin Ashforth, Karen Allen, Celia Weston
Director: Todd Field
Director: Todd Field
Screenwriter: Todd Field, Rob Festinger
Producer: Ted Hope, John Penotti, Ross Katz, Todd Field
Composer: Thomas Newman
Producer: Graham Leader
Studio: Miramax Films
Reviews for In the Bedroom
Tremendously powerful... emotions below the surface are made devastatingly clear
It's tempting to compare this film to Ordinary People, since both deal with the reaction of an upper-middle class family to the accidental death of their son. New movie is more immediate, emotional and ambiguous; Field may develop into a major director
The real story is in how the marriage is strengthened or harmed by the way each spouse responds to whats happening.
As top-drawer as the acting is, I simply can't buy the laboriously plotted revenge ending, which seems to have crawled out of Perry Mason's attic.
...one of those rare films that so vividly paints a picture of a community, that afterwards you feel as though you've been there...
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