"In the Bedroom" is a dark drama filled with great performances and a terrific directing debut by actor Todd Field ("Eyes Wide Shut", "Twister"). It's about a college kid who falls in love with an older woman much to the disapproval of the kid's parents and to the jealousy of the woman's brutal ex-husband. Then tragedy occurs, and the lives of all of these people are changed forever. "In the Bedroom" received 5 well deserved Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Best Actress (Sissy Spacek), Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei), and Best Adapted Screenplay (co-written by Field). The performances are the key to why "In the Bedroom" works so well, and Wilkinson, Spacek, and Tomei are all brilliant. There was only one thing that I didn't like about this film and that was the ending which seemed kind of awkward to me. The movie feels like it ends too soon.
***1/2 (out of four)
***1/2 (out of four)