In the Bedroom (B or 3/4 stars)
'In the Bedroom' (directed by Todd Fields) is a devastating, superbly acted drama that offers a portrait of grieving parents ... it's also SUPER slow & needlessly ponderous, at times; which infringed on my overall admiration of the film. Its summertime in coastal Maine and Frank Fowler (Nick Stahl) has returned home from college, trying to earn some $$ as a lobsterman {his grandpa's vocation} before heading back to Ivy League school in the fall. His parents, Matt (Tom Wilkinson), a kindly local doctor, & Ruth (Sissy Spacek), the high school choir teacher, are very proud of their son, but are worried about the woman he is dating. That would be Natalie Strout (Marisa Tomei), a 30-something yr. old mother of two whose divorce to Richard (William Mapother, Tom Cruise's cousin) is not yet finalized.
Nick & Natalie love each other, but his parents are concerned about the differences btwn. them {she's a store clerk with working class ways, while Frank has loftier goals in life}; not to mention that a creepy, combustible Richard keeps popping up and, has even hit Frank. One thing leads to another and ... tragedy strikes. From that point on, Frank & Ruth try to cope with a sudden loss. She retreats from the world; staying home & chain-smoking. Matt, on the other hand, maintains an outward calm; but becomes obsessed with the fate of killer ... who is still on the loose. Once a close & loving couple, they're encumbered with the silence of sorrow & rage as they're forced to re-examine their once-rock solid marriage. White-hot rage & revenge ensues.
'In the Bedroom' shows how the intense pressure of a sudden tragedy {and shown to us in a shocking way} can put strain on even the most solid of longtime marriages. For Matt & Ruth, their quiet camaraderie dissolves into exasperation & recrimination. Sleep-deprived nights make way for despondent mornings. And one explosive argument btwn. soft-spoken Matt & a judgmental Ruth leads to an action that brings catharsis to one while causing the other to soul-search.
This film is not bad. The direction is able. The writing offers stellar plot scenarios & dialogues. And 'ITB' has even made many Top 10 lists of the year from pro critics. But for me, the many awkward fade-to-blacks, elongated quiet moments, & an air of pretentiousness hurts the proceedings {and the emotional impact I felt}. But the performances are all astonishing and, the main reason to see the move. Tom Wilkinson imbues Matt with a quiet pride, a wellspring of misery & a bubbling fury. Sissy Spacek conveys Ruth as a dormant volcano that erupts; particularly when spotting the killer in a store. Nick Stahl brings depth to a potentially one-dimensional character. And Marisa Tomei impresses, as well. All the performances are wholly natural.
Really, it's the kind of astute ensemble acting that makes you think you're watching real life unfold rather than watching some organized, melodramatic entertainment. 'In the Bedroom' is a difficult film to forget. The finale is GRIM with a Capital G. And either you'll be irked by the many boring stretches OR knocked-out by the near-Shakespearean tragic implications of the plot. Ultimately, I choose to admire 'ITB' as an unsettling film about the complex emotions of grief. A seemingly happy, normal lifestyle {in which internal demons have been long-buried} changes for the worse in the wake of wrenching tragedy. Though it might be tough - for many reasons - this might be the type of film to see twice to find new meanings amid the miseries.