Review of In a Bedroom (2012) by Pete L — 04 Nov 2011

âEver notice that even the worst bastards have friends?â?

An excellent movie but nowhere near as good as Fieldâ(TM)s later work.

Plot: Set in a tight knit fishing community in Maine, a teenage boy named Frank develops an intense romantic relationship with a single mother with two children. Problems arise when his parents and the womanâ(TM)s estranged soon to be ex-husband find out how serious the relationship is. Tragedy strikes and the parentsâ(TM) marriage is put to the test as things get worse and deal with the man who shattered their lives.

Iâ(TM)m a huge fan of Todd Fieldâ(TM)s later work, Little Children which captured the same intense atmosphere as this. Excellent use of foreshadowing. Extremely well written. I hope this isnâ(TM)t spoiling anything (it shouldnâ(TM)t because it happens early on in the movie), but the movie is about the loss of a child and how the parents deal with it, which really shows how fantastic Field is at writing characters. They seem so real and believable. As with Little Children, the title really doesnâ(TM)t reflect on what the plot is about, yet does share some its themes and I think Field uses that to make the person about to watch it feel uncomfortable. Spacek, Wilkinson, Tomei, and Stahl are fantastic. I donâ(TM)t think choosing Celia Watson for a role was a good idea. Sheâ(TM)s a Southern woman doing a thick Northern accent, and it is absolutely terrible. She just really annoys me. Also I really didnâ(TM)t think her character played any significant role in the movie. Other than this one problem I didnâ(TM)t find a thing wrong with it. Itâ(TM)s a great Drama. Total Score: 8.2/10.