In the Bedroom (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: May 05, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Todd FieldRelease Date(s)
2001 (March 26, 2025)Studio(s)
Miramax Films (Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
[Editor's Note: This a Region-Free Australian Blu-ray import.]
In the Bedroom defies pigeonholing. Spanning drama, romance, thriller, and character study, the film is a leisurely look at family and social dynamics before and after a tragedy befalls a couple in a small New England town.
Matt and Ruth Fowler (Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson) are a married couple who live in a seacoast community in Maine. Their son, Frank (Nick Stahl), newly graduated from high school, has a talent for architecture and his parents are looking forward to his starting college in the fall. Frank, meanwhile, is enjoying a summertime romance that makes his parents uneasy. Frank’s girlfriend, Natalie (Marisa Tomei), has two young children and in the process of getting divorced from estranged husband Richard (William Mapother), son of a wealthy seafood cannery owner.
Ruth feels more wary of Frank’s relationship with Natalie than Matt does. Matt likes Natalie and considers Frank’s affair with her “sowing his wild oats.” Things turn bleak when a violently jealous Richard shoots and kills Frank. Richard claims the shooting was an accident. The Fowlers’ lawyer explains that because there were no eyewitnesses to the murder and Richard has no criminal history, he’ll most likely get off with a manslaughter conviction and only a few years of jail time. Consumed with grief at the loss of their only child, Matt and Ruth are enraged at a legal system that fails to provide justice.
The balance of the film deals with Matt and Ruth as differences in the way they handle their grief gradually change their relationship. Ruth holds her anger inside, eating away at her, while Matt assumes a stoic attitude and searches for any evidence that Richard is guilty of murder. Matt gives Ruth space to grieve and doesn’t press her to snap out of her dark mood, but Matt’s demeanor infuriates her. She feels they’re not equal partners in their anger and desire to avenge their son’s untimely death.
Both Spacek and Wilkinson turn in exceptional performances. Spacek is a mass of nerves and exasperation as her Ruth tries to go about normal activities to distract herself. At a key point, she finally lashes out at Matt and both spill out their true feelings. For the first time, we see Matt lose his cool, defending himself and lashing out at Ruth. The quality of their acting elevates the film considerably.
Frank is a young man at a crossroads, his feelings for Natalie threatening to derail his ambitions and his parents’ hopes for him. Stahl conveys Frank’s innocence, decency, maturity, and protective nature. In many scenes, he broods as his Frank endures the warnings of his mother and tries to connect with his out-of-touch father.
Tomei convinces as the conflicted Natalie. Her early scenes with Stahl suggest freedom and happiness, qualities she lacks in her marriage. As they run through high grass, she’s uninhibited and blissful. At the trial, she falls apart under cross examination by Richard’s defense attorney (Karen Allen). Afterward, her downcast eyes, dour expression and hunched posture suggest the guilt she feels. Tomei has an expressive face that conveys the mixed emotions Natalie feels.
First-time feature director Todd Field takes his time telling the story and attempts to capture the poetic tone of the story Killings, by Andre Dubus, on which the film is based. The leisurely pace doesn’t always work to the film’s advantage, however, especially after the shooting, when the narrative flow seems to get stuck in the mud. The four major characters come alive in the screenplay by Field and Rob Festinger, and the dialogue is often painfully raw. Is the course of action that Matt and Ruth ultimately arrive at true to character? In a way, it’s satisfying, but it’s quite a leap from what we may have come to expect.
In the Bedroom might have worked more effectively as a play, since it’s character driven, has excellent dialogue, and involves only five main characters. Field has opened up the story to include outdoor scenes aboard a fishing boat and near the dock, but the film still has a claustrophobic feel. Many scenes contain drawn-out pauses that could have been edited down. Rather than increase tension, they dim it.
In the Bedroom was shot by director of photography Antonio Calvache on Super 35 mm film with Moviecam Compact cameras and Zeiss Standard Speed, Super Speed, and Angenieux HR lenses, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The Blu-ray features a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Clarity and contrast are excellent. The opening outdoor scenes convey a lyrical quality and set the tone for the film. Many of the indoor scenes, especially those in the Fowler’s bedroom, are dimly lit even in daytime. Hand-held cameras are used to track characters’ movements without resorting to a series of cuts. There are long transitions indicated by a black screen. Details are well delineated, such as the high grass that Frank and Natalie run through, lobsters that Matt handles, shoreline buildings along the coast, items in the Fowler kitchen, Frank’s design drawings, and tears on Natalie’s face.
There are two soundtracks, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 2.0 LPCM. English SDH subtitles are an available option. The sound design is subtle, but effective. A breeze blowing gently through the high grass and leaves on the trees helps to convey an idyllic natural setting. Dialogue, however, isn’t always clear, as characters, particularly Spacek’s Ruth, speak barely above a whisper. When a conversation between Ruth and Matt escalates, the volume rises as shouts and recriminations are exchanged. Thomas Newman’s music has a plaintive, sad quality that underscores the emotional heft of the story.
This Imprint Films Region-Free Blu-ray edition comes with a limited edition slipcase. Bonus materials include the following:
- Audio Commentary by Adrian Martin
- Paralyzing Landscapes (12:42)
- Bedroom Problems: Authors and Adaptation (16:57)
- Defending the Bedroom (14:22)
Audio Commentary – Film scholar Adrian Martin points out that In the Bedroom emerges out of silence and darkness. The opening sets the style and mood of the film. Close-ups are relatively rare. We’re in nature at the outset, both a word and an idea—human nature in balance. The film is about the loss of harmony and the loss of civilized order. The story Killings, on which the film is based, is only ten or twelve pages. Director Field expanded it and cast the film perfectly. Richard—rich and spoiled—mocks middle-class mores. There’s an ambiguity about the character. Though he’s shot and killed Frank, he appears conscienceless, socializing and living his life as usual. Ruth and Matt express grief in different ways. Their reactions are either too little or too much. Martin analyzes a key scene between Ruth and Matt. A hand-held camera follows them through several rooms in their house as the emotions they express range from violent to calm as they air grievances about one another. The scene offers tense, moment-by-moment development. An excerpt from the story is read. Critics were put off by the abrupt change in genres. The film is both a character exploration and a tense thriller. It “creeps up on you” because we learn late in the film about a key decision Ruth and Matt shared.
Paralyzing Landscapes – Poetic words are shown on screen along with clips from In the Bedroom to highlight its themes—nature, labor, class, the house, marriage, and the body.
Bedroom Problems: Authors and Adaptation – Film programmer Alex Gootter notes that In the Bedroom was “one of the most heralded films of 2001.” As a “small miracle of patience and composure,” the film defied Hollywood’s penchant for blockbusters. Todd Field, the director, was best known as an actor. The film fleshes out the characters better than the short story. The location from the story, Massachusetts, was changed to Maine. It’s a patient, deliberately paced film. Differences between story and film are discussed. The film’s narrative is linear, and portrays Frank as a martyr. Its most radical passages are silent. Thomas Newman’s score contains hints of Charles Ives.
Defending the Bedroom – Karen Allen read an early version of the script and loved it. At that point, negotiations to get the film made were still ongoing. She connected immediately with Todd Field and said she’d be happy to play any role if the film was green-lighted. She accepted the role of the defense attorney, which required only a half day of filming. Excerpts from her performance are shown. She says that, in accepting roles, she’s often influenced by the passion of the filmmakers. She has acting an apartment in New York City but prefers to head to her county home after acting in a film to unwind and relax. In closing, she says, “I was happy to be part of the film.”
Some sources list a theatrical trailer among the bonus materials, but it hasn’t been included.
In the Bedroom is a film that relies on the viewer to pay attention and understand its characters. It doesn’t take shortcuts, but delves deeply into who Ruth and Matt really are. We get a complete picture of them both before and after a tragic event. Director Todd Field has created a thoughtful, often disturbing look at the effect of grief as the film takes the viewer through a couple’s painful journey. The film is structured in layers, its shift to thriller mode coming as a surprise. This shifting of gears is jarring, yet introduces additional suspense. A good fifteen minutes could have been cut to improve the pace.
- Dennis Seuling