In the Bedroom

Directed by Todd Field, In the Bedroom follows several characters, including Sissy Spacek’s Ruth, Tom Wilkinson’s Matt, and Marisa Tomei’s Natalie, as they attempt to put their lives back together after a shocking act of violence. Filmmaker Field, armed with his and Robert Festinger’s screenplay, delivers an exceedingly deliberate yet mostly engrossing drama that benefits substantially from its raft of spellbinding performances, as Field effectively elicits top-tier work from his stars and a uniformly well-cast roster of periphery players – although it remains clear, certainly, that Wilkinson’s subdued and entirely commanding turn stands as the picture’s most consistently captivating attribute. The movie’s pervasive atmosphere of irresistible authenticity goes a long way towards perpetuating the watchable vibe, and there’s little doubt, as well, that In the Bedroom‘s overall impact is heightened by the inclusion of many riveting scenes and sequences (eg the aforementioned act of violence, a confrontation between Ruth and Natalie, Ruth and Matt’s explosive, soul-baring blowup, etc). By the time the thoroughly enthralling final stretch rolls around, In the Bedroom has cemented its place as an absorbing (albeit slightly overlong) debut from Field that succeeds as a low-key drama and a periodically gripping thriller.

***1/2 out of ****