In the Bedroom (2001)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Todd Field

Writers:

Andre Dubus (story)
Robert Festinger (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 January 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

A young man. An older woman. Her ex-husband. Things are about to explode...

Plot:

A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman with two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband. Then something terrible occurs in this wrenching, emotional drama.

Plot Keywords:

New England | Tragedy | Doctor | Maine | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 41 nominations

Cast

Tom Wilkinson	...	Matt Fowler
Sissy Spacek	...	Ruth Fowler
Nick Stahl	...	Frank Fowler
Marisa Tomei	...	Natalie Strout
William Mapother	...	Richard Strout
William Wise	...	Willis Grinnel
Celia Weston	...	Katie Grinnel
Karen Allen	...	Marla Keyes
Frank T. Wells	...	Henry
W. Clapham Murray	...	Carl
Justin Ashforth	...	Tim Bryson
Terry A. Burgess	...	District Attorney
Jonathan Walsh	...	Father McCasslin
Diane E. Hamlin	...	Davis' Assistant
Camden Munson	...	Jason Strout

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and language.

Runtime:

130 min | USA:138 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Belfast, Maine, USA

Company:

Good Machine

Trivia:

The Red Sox games heard on the radio are from 8 July 2000 and 9 July 2000.

Goofs:

Continuity: Matt's hair changes between shots during their argument in the living room.

Quotes:

Henry: [both characters talking to Jason] Best part of the cod. The outsiders, they won't touch it. Summer fisherman, well, they're part-timers like Frank here; get in your hair. As many as 80 of them now with licenses. Hmm! Should have put up a sign. Stay in your own backyard, or lose your traps.
Frank Fowler: See, Henry here is just sore 'cause I catch twice as much as he does with an old second-hand Bordreau.
Henry: Now, don't you listen to him, son. That boat is fine. She was my first. I kinda miss her, sometimes. And that truck you're driving. When are you headed back to school, Frank?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Romain Slocombe/Spreading Misandry/Carolyn Weltman (#5.12)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Oj Savice

a real modern classic

A rarity in modern cinema, In the Bedroom is a movie for thinking adults that is one of the most thorough yet subtle examinations of violence and its consequences I've ever seen. Tom Wilkerson gives a masterful and restrained performance, and Sissy Spacek and nearly everyone else is uniformly excellent. Although it is a searing and unflinching look at nearly unspeakable grief, it is poignant and thoughtful and even has scenes of humor if you are ready for it. Todd Field's screenplay is one of the most brilliant in recent memory. I really wish we had more mature stuff like this coming out of Hollywood. Powerful films that deal with violence and its aftermath and meaning like this make films like Kill Bill look even more repellent than they already are.