Like 1997's "The Sweet Hereafter", Atom Egoyan's frank portrayal of a town faced with insurmountable grief (the crash of a school bus full of children), director Todd Field's "In the Bedroom" explores how two parents deal with the tragic murder of their 21-year-old son. Mr. Field adapted the film from a story by Andre Dubus and he assembles a wonderful cast to populate the small New England town of Camden, which will become home to the audience through the course of the film.
Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson play Ruth and Matt Fowler, whose son Frank (Nick Stahl) has taken up with an older woman (Marisa Tomei, finally proving that the Oscar may not have been a mistake) with two kids and a violent ex-husband (William Mapother, cousin of Tom Cruise). Ms. Spacek's performance has been touted extensively and she does do an excellent job here, but I would also point to Mr. Wilkinson who disappears into the role of a small town doctor and father to such an extent that you forget completely his British, Shakespearean roots. The two actors feel like any husband and wife that you might know and seeing the tragedy tear them apart is, ironically, what holds the film together. We feel the parents' claustrophobia and frustration - particularly in regards to the typically useless legal system. Mr. Field manages to build the extreme tension in the film not by scenes of anger or shouting, but by the exact opposite. It is what is not said that drives a stake through the grief-stricken parents.
It was a pleasure to see a film that trusts its audience to pay attention and understand its characters. "In the Bedroom" is not the tearjerker it might have been in the hands of a more overbearing director. You may find yourself laughing or your eyes welling with tears for no apparent reason. There are no clear "sad moments" or punch lines; the film is just a frank view of life in all its glory and sadness.
While I was not happy with the film's choice for a conclusion (not, by any means, a resolution), I respect that Mr. Field commits to his choice and holds it up to the same principles as the rest of the film. It is not a flaw in the film, it is a decision - and one which, I expect, has prompted the reaction in me that Mr. Field wanted. After the events of 9/11, the film has a particular poignancy. In effect, it has taken tragic loss due to mindless violence and pared it down to the smallest scale, perhaps to give us the ability to wrap our heads around it. "In the Bedroom" resonates with the understanding that any loss no matter how great or small has repercussions.
