IN THE BEDROOM, directed by Todd Field

It's rare to see a film that so fully gets its subject.  Todd Field's In The Bedroom is about grief and the need for revenge, and Field shows such a thorough understanding of these two impulses that it's hard to imagine that this is his directorial debut.

The story revolves around a middle-aged couple whose son is brutally murdered.  This doesn't happen until the end of the first act, which I think is a smart movie.  We have spent some time with their son, and find him to be a young man of immense likability and integrity.  So, when is killed, we hurt, too.

After the initial sting of loss has lessened a bit, the parents slowly resume their lives.  The father mows the lawn, the mother watches her sitcoms.  When the film came out, I read a review on-line, in which the reviewer talked about how boring he found these scenes to be.  He didn't understand why we were watching these two characters do mundane things.  And, for those who have never lost anybody close to them, I suppose I could understand that sentiment. 

However, I find these scenes to be vital.  It is in these quiet moments that the weight of grief is truly felt.  One of the hardest things to do after losing someone is to get back to your day-to-day routine.  For example, it is entirely possible that the mowing of the yard was a task performed by the son.  Now, though, it has become the father's job.  So, in performing this mundane task, the father has no choice but to think about the loss of his son.

The movie continues on like this, with both parents grieving in a different way.  However, as they soon discover that it is likely that their boy's murderer will not be adequately punished, things take a turn.  All of a sudden, their grief and loss comes to the forefront of their minds.  How can they be expected to get past their son's death with his killer walking around town?

With the killer unpunished, their tension mounts, and finally explodes.  They blame each other.  This is the key seen of the film.  Everything that has been building up comes pouring out; and it is some of the most venomous arguing you'll ever seen on film.  To see Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson play it out is to witness the definition of great acting.  Spacek lets her emotions flood out of her in a scattershot of accusations.  Wilkinson, however, opts not to raise his voice, understanding that a few carefully-chosen words can cut to the core more efficiently then volume ever could.  By the time the argument is over, we are exhausted, as are they.  Finally, they decide what must be done.

Which is where Field's expert understanding of the vengeful impulse comes into place.  But I'll let you discover that part for yourself.

In The Bedroom is one of those rare movies that acknowledges the darker side of human emotion, yet chooses not to stylize it.  Instead, it is shown in the midst of a normal town, involving seemingly-normal people.  It is this idea that anger, resentment, and vengeance can, under the right circumstances, reside in even the most reasonable, pleasant person that makes Todd Field's debut so memorable.  He would later go on to direct the wonderful Little Children; a film that would continue to explore the rotten core of otherwise good people.

I find this film to be fascinating because it reminds me that, while it is easy to look at murderers and rapists and thieves with judgment, I am just as capable of these actions as anybody else.  We all are.  All somebody need do is take away the thing I love most in the world, and all those horrible things I'm convinced I'd never do start to sound pretty damn good.