In The Bedroom
In the Bedroom is a powerful movie that portrays some of the truest and most painful of emotions. Set in a small New England town, parents Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson are in the midst of a summer with their home from college son (Nick Stahl). Quiet controversy brews over his involvement with a local woman (Marisa Tomei), and his fondness for lobster trapping as a way of life. Without revealing information that would spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, it is safe to say that the movie turns on a dime and becomes intensely emotional rather than a simple coming of age picture.
The movie sets the scene of parents who fiercely love their son, but are unsure how or when they should let go. Many parents of college age children must tackle this daunting challenge every day. Is he a rebellious boy, or a man who knows his own mind?
This question slides into the background as the story is wrenched in a direction that bares the parents in grief and leaves them raw. As the central characters struggle to deal with what most of us see only as a blip in the newspaper, we begin to feel the lonely solitude of grief. For although everyday life goes on, somehow time seems to stand still. Each character copes in their own fumbling way, and these efforts inevitably clash.
I admired the way this movie let us see grief in all its isolation, desperation, awkwardness, and seeming eternity. Without rushing, histrionics, or other common Hollywood devices, we get to a conclusion, which, although shocking, is not gratuitous nor without internal consequences; two things I rarely see in a movie.
Each performance is taut, without extraneous preachiness or excessive confrontation. The pace is not rapid-fire, particularly in the second half, but this works as an uncontrived way of showing the characters struggles. This is a first time directorial effort by Todd Field, who clearly had a vision for how this story should be told and stuck with it. This may not be a movie for all tastes, but it’s a wonderful study of the emotions of love and grief, something that’s not always easy to see. Leave yourself some time to discuss it afterward, and maybe be prepared to shed a tear or two. A beautiful job by all involved.
