In the Bedroom (2001) - Field debuts with refined drama

♥♥♥♥

 

Fervent critical praise fills up a large part of this erotica and adult themes promising poster for Todd Field's In the Bedroom

A young man in Maine carries on a 'summer flirt' with an older woman who is a mother of three. Her ex-husband is a violent prick, and one day he shoots the young man. Due to a poor witness statement, he is later released on bail.

 

In the Bedroom is written by Robert Festinger (Trust (2010)) and great Californian filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Todd Field (Tár (2022)), whose debut it is. It is an adaptation of the 1979 short story Killings by Andre Dubus (Finding a Girl in America (1980)).

Tom Wilkinson (Denial (2016)) and Sissy Spacek (The Help (2011)) turn in terrific performances as the parents of the young man, who pains and grieve in each their own way. The film's pressurized silence during the first hour is unusual in a modern American film, (or more accurately in any American film.)

The film has strong, finely choreographed domestic spat scenes. The title, which alludes to a lobster-catching contraption and not the room in a house that we will naturally think of, seems poorly selected, and the film is too brightly lit in some scenes. The ending is not as powerful as it might have been, and the film overall may have been a tad overrated at its arrival in 2001.

 

Related posts:

 

Todd Field: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 1.7 mil. $

Box office: 44.7 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 26.2 times its cost)

[In the Bedroom premiered 19 January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 131 minutes. Shooting took place from June - July 2000 in Maine. The distribution rights were purchased by Miramax, and a reportedly terrified Field followed the advice of his friend Tom Cruise in how to avoid notoriously meddling executive Harvey Weinstein ruining his film: first let Weinstein recut the film, then receive poor test scores, and then remind Weinstein of the great reception the film originally got at Sundance. The strategy worked, and the film was eventually released as Field intended. It opened #37 to a 93k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #12 and in 1,103 theaters, grossing 35.9 mil. $ (80.3 % of the total gross) The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 1.3 mil. $ (2.9 %; here the film was not released until 2005!) and the UK with 945k $ (2.1 %). It was nominated for 5 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Picture to A Beautiful Mind, Actor (Wilkinson) to Denzel Washington in Training Day, Actress (Spacek) to Halle Berry in Monster's Ball, Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler (2008))) to Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind and Adapted Screenplay to Akiva Goldsman for A Beautiful Mind. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs, won 1/3 Golden Globe nominations, 3/4 Independent Spirit award nominations, 3 National Board of Review awards, 1/5 AFI award nominations, among many other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Field returned with Carnivàle (2005, TV-series) and theatrically with Little Children (2006). Wilkinson returned in Another Life (2001); Spacek in Midwives (2001, TV movie), Last Call (2002, TV movie) and theatrically in Tuck Everlasting (2002). In the Bedroom is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of In the Bedroom?

Carnivàle - 1st season (2003, TV-series) - Grand but oft clotted-up period mystery show

♥♥♥

Beautifully designed poster for Daniel Knauf's Carnivàle

QUICK REVIEW:

This huge and impressive 1930s period production begins outstandingly in Milfay (1), in which the main characters are introduced:

Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)), who SPOILER buries his mother and father and leaves a dessert storm to join the carnival; its leader Samson (Michael J. Anderson (Twin Peaks (1990-91)), and the mysterious Brother Justin (Clancy Brown (Homefront (2013)), who can get coins to flow from a woman's mouth.
Later other characters are presented, like the confounding 'executive' leader 'Management', the bearded lady and Professor Lodz, Rita Sue, the girl (Clea DuVall (Girl, Interrupted (1999)) and the mother who communicate telepathically etc. etc.

The structure of the series leaves something to be wished for: It appears that a final goal has been set up, (it indeed had by series creator Daniel Knauf (Dracula (2013-14), who had mapped out 6 (!) seasons for the show) and that each episode is to serve the overall story. The problem is that each episode becomes thinner and thinner, plot- and theme-wise, although there's no shortage of blood and sex, (in-line with HBO's general crops.) Carnivàle at some point reaches a place where it feels totally without direction, simply wallowing in its own mysticism.
Brown is good as the Methodist preacher, who goes through so much: SPOILER His church (with 6 kids in it) gets burned down by his sister; his escape, suicide attempt; his visions of his own derelict childhood as a Russian refugee, his getting placed in a mental hospital and, finally, his exposure as a demon!
The Hawkins drifter character, on the other hand, stands for good. At the end, SPOILER he saves the dead snake-woman by killing the unpopular Lodz.
The Carnivàle-production is handsome and highly unusual. The product in itself is problematic.
It got a second season, before its benefactor-financier HBO canceled it due to high production costs and dwindling ratings, to the outcries of many thousands of fans. 
The first season's 12 episodes (averaging 54 minutes each) are directed by 8 talented directors behind shows like The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Hannibal, LOST and True Blood. Columbian Rodrigo Garcia (Six Feet Under (2001-05), the most used of them, directed 4 episodes of the first season.
Knauf has been active in several TV-series since Carnivàle, both as writer and producer.

Best episode:

1. Milfay
Story, universe and character introductions

 

 

Watch the season 1 trailer here

Cost: Reportedly 4 mil. $ per episode, totaling a whopping 36 mil. $
Box office: None
= Unknown

What do you think of Carnivàle?
Stories about the production or your experience of the show are welcomed