Stunningly, Todd Field has only directed three feature films—and that needs to change. The writer-director of one of the best movies of the 2020s so far, Tár, is preternaturally gifted as a visual storyteller and dramatist, diving deep into the human psyche of characters on the brink of self-destruction. After being a sturdy supporting character actor in the 1990s, notably appearing in Twister, Field’s big break on screen was under the direction of Stanley Kubrick and starring opposite Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut as the ominous piano player, Nick Nightingale. It’s fitting that, as soon as he witnessed Kubrick, the master of cinema, at work, Field pivoted full-time to directing. Where most directors in their debut films struggle to find their footing, Field burst onto the scene with powerful assurance with In the Bedroom, a marvelous domestic drama about unthinkable tragedy told with precision and intimacy.
Todd Field Announced Himself as an Auteur With His Debut Film, ‘In the Bedroom’

The late ’90s through the early 2000s was a booming time to be an up-and-coming filmmaker. By the time Todd Field came into his own to direct In the Bedroom in 2001, Indiewood had become a fully realized commercial entity, thanks to the rise of Sundance and Miramax, for mainstream audiences to enjoy with the same level of recognition as tentpole blockbusters. Combining the two mega forces behind the independent movement, with its premiere at Sundance and distribution by Miramax, In the Bedroom announced Field as a serious filmmaker. If there’s one thing to know about Field, it is that he takes his time making features, as he has only made two films, Little Children and Tár, since his debut 24 years ago. Nothing about the film’s content screams “commercial,” but through extraordinary word-of-mouth, In the Bedroom was extremely profitable, grossing $43 million on a $1.7 million budget. Based on the short story “Killings,” by Andre Dubus, In the Bedroom follows the life of the Fowler family in a quaint mid-coast town in Maine. Their college-aged son, Frank (Nick Stahl), begins dating an older woman with a troubled previous marriage, Natalie Strout (Marisa Tomei), which greatly concerns his mother, Ruth (Sissy Spacek), a school choir director, but not so much his father and revered town doctor, Matt (Tom Wilkinson). The inflection point in the film comes during a shocking family tragedy, forcing the outwardly vulnerable Ruth and the taciturn Matt to grieve in their own unique ways, but nothing can salvage these wounds.
‘In the Bedroom’ is an Acting Showcase and Study on Grief

Directors of the indie wave frequently cast actors with untapped potential or overlooked versatility. Field, in particular, has a way of getting career-best performances out of acclaimed, prestigious actors like Kate Winslet in Little Children and Cate Blanchett as the titular Lydia Tár. Always a brilliant character actor, the late Tom Wilkinson shines as a leading man, playing a father and prodigious community figure whose social influence is undermined by his naivety. One of the best actors of her generation, Sissy Spacek elevates this chamber drama to epic proportions whenever she appears on-screen, carrying the weight of suffocating anguish. Her looks alone underscore the feeling of the collapse of the idyllic New England town. Marisa Tomei, who was Oscar-nominated alongside Wilkinson and Spacek, also gives a revelatory, heartbreaking performance. With a story containing murder, betrayal, and lustful temptations, In the Bedroom baits its performers to dial up everything to the maximum degree. What would’ve been an overwrought circus of melodrama became something more than just misery porn under Todd Field’s vision. While grief is at the center, the film is equally invested in examining the livelihood of a community and the specifics of our process of understanding the world following a traumatic incident.

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Field also reveals why he wanted to film that scene in one take and why it was such a challenge to get it right.

Channeling Stanley Kubrick, the film carries itself with an unflappable stillness. Field never leans too heavily into the idealism of rural life in Maine or the despair of the shattered family household following Frank’s murder. This is not to suggest that the film is inert, but just like Kubrick, Field refreshingly observes everything neutrally, treating the narrative like a documentary. The quiet opening moments portend lingering danger, and the morose second half is granted moments of wistfulness thanks to his balanced direction. Where most debut filmmakers want to flex their formalist muscles, Field lets his impressive ensemble cast take the reins. Everything we all adored about Tár—the acting showcase, ruminations on the moral gray, and scintillating dramaturgy about self-destructive individuals—was immediately perfected by Todd Field in his first crack at directing. In the Bedroom offers no easy solutions to the traumatic situations that transpire in the film, and Field’s razor-sharp precision behind the page and camera forces viewers to reckon with the same moral quandaries.

In the Bedroom

Release Date

November 23, 2001

Runtime

130 minutes

Writers

Robert Festinger

Producers

Graham Leader, John Penotti, Ross Katz, Ted Hope