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In the Bedroom

Todd Fields is an actor's actor, but in his debut film, In the Bedroom, he became an actor's director. His background helps him to craft a film, which is both visually communicative and emotionally stirring.

The story of In the Bedroom is anchored in human relationships, a subject often glossed over or dumbed-down in Hollywood films. The relationship between Dr. Matt Fowler (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife Ruth (Sissy Spacek) is anything but simple or perfect. Fields bravely places it under a magnifying glass for viewers just the same.

The couple's college-age child, played by Nick Stahl, is murdered by the estranged husband of his summer girlfriend played by Marisa Tomei. Fields promptly gets the murder out of the way, leaving the remainder of the film for the study of the couple.

However, the suspense of the doomed love triangle is delicious and satisfyingly whets the appetite for the film's end.

Spacek and Wilkinson play the couple with stunning aptitude, while Fields frames and edits their performance with worthy grace and meaning. Within the difficult struggles and silences between the grieving pair, Wilkinson creates an uncomfortable and complicated visual space for the action. The camera gazes at mirrors reflecting the anguishing husband and wife, or fixates on portions of their face contorted with emotion or paralyzed with fear.

Whereas most films that focus on a warring couple would drag along through dull silences or predictable fights, Fields is able to transport the viewer into a space that is unsettling. The viewer is akin to an outsider visiting the interior of a real house or real relationship. The viewer is left on the edge of their seat anticipating the parents' response to the death of their son.

Field's should be proud of his accomplishment. He's made a thrilling and intelligent film about the imperfection of domesticity and human relationships in America today.

Written by: Laura Thomas

Reviewers Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 7.28
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