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Actors: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about In the Bedroom |
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This 2001 film is actor Todd Field's debut as feature film director, and it's a solid effort. Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek are an older couple -- Matt is a doctor, Ruth a teacher -- in the lovely seacoast town of Camden, Maine. Their 21-year-old son Frank (Nick Stahl) becomes enamored of an older single mom (Marisa Tomei) and considers dropping out of college to stay with her. They really would like him to cut it off but don't want to push him too hard. The young mother is separated from a violent, blue collar husband (William Mapother) who is very jealous of Frank and keeps trying to reconcile with her. This is a very slow, deliberate character study (based on the Andre Dubus short story "Killings") which focuses on the older couple and their reaction to the violent death of their son. Spacek is excellent as a strong, tightly wound, and bitter woman, but Wilkinson is the true center of this movie: ambivalent, caring, dissatisfied with his career and nearly everything else in life but too understanding of all to react strongly or swiftly. If you can settle into its rhythm, this antithesis of the blockbuster epic spectacle will provide tension and rewards aplenty.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of In the Bedroom |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- present (2000-2010)
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Struggle with
- (General) search for meaning/identity
Lover is...
- much older/younger
Coping with loss of loved one?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Body type
- (man) fat
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- accused criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Hair color
- blonde
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) skinny
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Forest?
Yes
Water?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- depressed/sad
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- kissing
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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