In the Bedroom STARRING: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl |
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Steve Snyder's Review |
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| “In The Bedroom” is an epic film, aware of its subject and its conflict, and so in control that shocking surprises near the ending have already been decided by an unaware audience as the only possible resolution. While most films must, at length, convince the viewer of a character’s decision, there is an honesty in “In The Bedroom” that will shock many in its ability to elicit a chosen response. I am put in a difficult position, unable to describe almost anything about this film without giving away its power. The title is deceiving, the film’s marketing has been deceiving, as well as the first scene of the film, which establishes expectations that are soon smashed. What I can say is that it is about a couple under the incredible strain of grief—a grief that exposes weaknesses in their relationship, weaknesses in the human spirit, and a grief that, understandably, has the power of destroying the lives of everyone it touches. Director Todd Field is a master in this respect. We watch people touched by a tragedy and how they react without the assistance of typical cinema cues. There is little music. In many cases, there is little talking. What remains is a heart-wrenching, honest, and touching analysis of how grief impacts, controls, and manipulates people. A final third act, when, as Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel puts it, the film leaves the moral high road, the story is not even about the grief any longer. It is about the reactions to the grief—the unfulfilling needs that those grieving feel. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson are phenomenal. They are given a monumental task, left there, in front of the camera, to either thrive or fall apart, and they succeed with shocking success. Early in this film, it faces the challenge that many dramas face: Have a story driven solely by empathetic emotions, or subtly explain the origin of these emotions to bring others into the story. Think about this for a moment and it really runs true. Some films aim to be emotional solely by exuding emotions that most empathize with and react accordingly. The most flagrant film of recent memory with this inferior structure was “Erin Brockovich.” With “In The Bedroom,” “A.I.,” and many others this year, there is an attempt to subtly explain and question the origin of these emotions and the decisions these emotions drive. Field not only shows us a grieving father, but his attempts to return to normal existence before he lashes out, his comatose existence that he attempts to rebuild, and his ultimate decision of an undeniable destiny. And, with a mixture of these ingredients, “In The Bedroom” becomes one of the very best films of the year. There are emotions that are imparted with terrifying sincerity, characters that are propelled by a force the audience not only recognizes but agrees with, and a final feeling that, right or wrong, these people’s journey could be that of anyone in any town, grieving silently in any given bedroom. Comments by David Johnson
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