In the Bedroom Movie Review

In the Bedroom (2001)

Rent In the Bedroom on Amazon Video
Written by: Andre Dubus (story "Killings"), Robert Festinger and Todd Field (screenplay)
Directed by: Todd Field
Starring: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei, William Mapother
Rated: R
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Plot
A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.

Verdict
This runs through so many emotions, from concern to grief and deeper. What starts out as a summer fling becomes more and then the story takes a twist. It's a well made movie with a great script that focuses on little moments that build together to create an experience. Expertly crafted, at the end it leaves you with a lot of questions to consider.
Watch it.

Review
The title has a double meaning, while the move explains it refers to caged lobsters, anytime in this story there are two opposing forces, only one survives.

This takes quite a turn from parents concerned about their college son's girlfriend to something much darker. Concern turns to grief with the failings of the justice system. From there this considers vigilantism. You begin to infuse the movie with your own thoughts, ascribing ideas to characters.

One of the big questions is how do you deal with grief and injustice?

This feels real in that while it's dramatic, it can also be pretty funny. The father's words are mixed with innuendo frequently. He tells his wife that their son Frank ate enough cole saw for two, but doesn't tell her how he found the son at home with his girlfriend and proceed to then sit down with the son and girlfriend, feeding them cole slaw.

The parents are concerned about the son dating an older woman with children that is still technically married. It just brings tension all around, from what people would say to the morality to whether their Frank will continue with school. I wondered if it was just a fling as Frank said or if he was saying that to calm his parents. It would be easy for Frank to change the course of his life for this woman, but is that the right course? Frank floats the idea of staying home and stopping school. On top of that, there's the soon to be ex-husband.

This is a small movie focused on emotion. It gets the details right. Frank's parents are concerned with Frank's future, and end up dealing with a tragedy. Insult adds to the tragedy as the justice system fails them. Both parents are trying to find a way to cope, but everything triggers a memory. The father is trying to find a new normal by hanging out with his friends and resuming life while the mother stops leaving the house. How do you cope with loss and help your spouse? Do they wonder if they could have done more? There's no way you don't blame yourself even if it isn't justified. They want resolution and it's slow in coming.

The movie goes further still as the parents decide to right the wrongs. You wonder if there is regret. It certainly has an emotional impact. While they've excised something that will trigger memories, it doesn't undo the past. It's also a mark of how cold they've become. They've been indelibly changed. At the beginning of this movie, you wouldn't consider them capable of what happens at the end.