In the Bedroom (2001)

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.

Director:

Todd Field

Writers:

Robert Festinger (screenplay), Todd Field (screenplay),

Stars:

Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 35 wins & 46 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The Fowlers are a normal family in Maine. Matt is the town doctor and loves to fish, his wife, Ruth, is the school's choir leader, and their son, Frank, is home from his first year of college. Frank is in love with Natalie, a young mother who isn't quite divorced yet from her ex-husband, Richard Strout, whose family runs the local cannery. It makes Richard's blood run cold to see his wife running around with another man. And soon, an unthinkable tragedy happens that will tear the Fowlers apart...

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Plot Keywords:

maine | school choir | doctor | new england | father son relationship | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

NZZ Online - Neue Zürcher Zeitung (German) Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Serbo-Croatian

Release Date:

11 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

A hálószobában

Filming Locations:

Belfast, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£87,294 (UK) (25 January 2002)

Gross:

$35,918,429 (USA) (10 May 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Machine, Standard Film Company, GreeneStreet Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 138 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The words of Father McCasslin at the burial are the last five lines from Chapter 25, "Death", in "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran.

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Goofs

The bruising around Frank's eye dissapears during talking to Henry and Jason at lunch but when reappears when talking to Matt outside.

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Quotes

Richard: Where are the boys?
Natalie: ...It's none of your business.
Richard: Oh, I see. They're my boys, but they're none of my business.

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Crazy Credits

Graham Leader gratefully acknowledges ... Ann, Kira & Saks.

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Connections

References The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Zeni Me, Mamo"
Bulgarian Traditional
Performed by The Newark Balkan Girls Chorus

User Reviews

Revenge shown to be illusion in this realistic work.

The film is, as all the critics say, emotionally involving, wrenching and all that. Acting is natural and realistic, down to the nitty-gritty. The valuable and rare thing here is that the story works against the most common plot at the movies today: the revenge plot. Here instead, revenge gets a more ambiguous and thoughtful treatment. We are accustomed to being flattered as an audience, sent home feeling good that "our" side wins in the end against the evil. In this film that stereotypical and simplistic Good vs Evil is taken apart. The revenge leaves us feeling unusually unsettled, which is a very good thing in a deeper sense.