Movie of the Week: ‘In the Bedroom’

“In the Bedroom” (2001) – AHFW’s Movie of the Week is Todd Field’s remarkable directorial debut “In the Bedroom” starring Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, and Nick Stahl.

Set in a New England small town, Matt and Ruth Fowler (Wilkinson, Spacek) live a happy life, and their son Frank (Stahl) is home for the summer after his college graduation.   Frank has big plans – which please his parents – but starts a relationship with an older woman Natalie (Tomei), and his future designs may lie with her, a single mom with an abusive ex-husband.

All the key actors dive into these three-dimensional characters from the get-go.  Field and his script weigh on the on-screen players with conflict and self-doubt, and they become lost when life pushes them in the wrong directions.

“In the Bedroom” garnered five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and although it was shut out of Academy gold, Spacek won the Best Actress – Drama Golden Globe.

Field’s heady follow-up “Little Children” in 2006 was just as affecting, but he hasn’t made a film since.  AHFW urges Field to return to movies, and according to IMDB, he’s writing and directing “The Creed of Violence” starring Daniel Craig which is in pre-production.  Oh, we are crossing our fingers!

(“In the Bedroom” is available on Netflix DVD, Amazon Prime, and HBO)

⭐⭐⭐⭐  out of   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Related posts

Leave a Comment