In The Bedroom (UK)
A young man. An older woman. Her ex-husband. Things are about to explode...
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 125 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Summer time on the coast of Maine. In The Bedroom centres on the inner dynamics of a family in transition. Matt Fowler (Tom Wilkinson) is a doctor practising in his native Maine and is married to New York born Ruth Fowler (Sissy Spacek), a choral music teacher. Their only child, Frank (Nick Stahl), has become involved in a love affair with a local single mother (Marisa Tomei). As the beauty of this brief and fleeting summer comes to an end, these characters find themselves in the midst of unimaginable tragedy. Todd Field`s directorial debut is a haunting, powerful exploration of a family falling apart, showcasing brilliant performances by Wilkinson and Spacek.
Special Features:
Theatrical Trailer
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitle Tracks:
English
Directed By:
Todd Field
Written By:
Andre Dubus
Todd Field
Robert Festinger
Starring:
Christopher Adams
Camden Munson
Diane E. Hamlin
Jonathan Walsh
Terry A. Burgess
Justin Ashforth
W. Clapham Murray
Frank T. Wells
Karen Allen
Celia Weston
William Wise
William Mapother
Marisa Tomei
Nick Stahl
Tom Wilkinson
Sissy Spacek
Music From:
Thomas Newman
Director of Photography:
Antonio Calvache
Editor:
Frank Reynolds
Producer:
Tim Williams
Penn Sicre
Graham Leader
Ross Katz
Todd Field
Executive Producer:
John Penotti
Ted Hope
Distributor:
Buena Vista
Your Opinions and Comments
"In the Bedroom" is a prime example of a film that makes a case for ensemble cast awards as opposed to individual actor nominations. The onscreen tension between Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson is palpable. Nick Stahl is like a piece of the puzzle fitting into the proper spot as the only child of Wilkinson and Spacek. And Marisa Tomei does a fine job as the older single mother who charms Stahl`s character and sets up the film`s brutal storyline.
Don`t buy "In the Bedroom" on DVD and expect anything other than two hours of gripping entertainment. Once the movie hooks you, you won`t care if that`s all there is.
The beauty of the film is the way in which Field and co-screenwriter Rob Festinger (making his feature film debut) - who work from a short story by the late novelist Andre Dubus - slowly but surely draw the viewer into this world and its well-drawn characters. I found the acting in "In the Bedroom" to be outstanding. Wilkinson is particularly good, and I found myself wishing the movie had been more of a study of his character. Spacek is also superb in an unflashy role. Tomei is wonderful as well, but her character drops out of sight way before the end. If there`s any good reason to watch this movie more than once, it would be the acting.
"In The Bedroom" is one of the richest character studies put on film in the past few years. Deeply personal, this film will rake you through the emotional coals more than once. Spacek and Wilkinson get the lions share of screen time and richly deserved their Oscar nods, but for me the character that struck the deepest emotional chord was Tomei`s. She delivers a performance that simply rips your heart out. "In The Bedroom" is an intelligent, deeply introspective look at the lives of four people under tremendous pressure. It may not be a film you`ll want to break out every week to re-watch, but it is a film you`ll not soon forget.
"In the Bedroom" DVD has no special features of any consequence.
I, however, found it to be rather routine and not extraordinary at all.
The video transfer of this local region 2 version is a butchered fullscreen one. The transfer is ok, but the lack of the widescreen shots is quite annoying.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is flat. The surrounds are hardly used at all, but since this is a drama, it`s acceptable.
The menus are still with sound.
The disk offers no extras at all.
Bottom line - a slightly overrated drama, which was, alas, given a very average and bare disk.