In the Bedroom, Todd Field's first film, based on the stories of Andre Dubus, retains its power after many viewings. I watched it again this afternoon and was struck by its art and reminded of the disappointment of Field's second and recent film, Little Children. The difference is a consequence not of content but of story strategy.
Bedroom, a story of the grief, stress, anger and subsequent action of a couple after the murder of their son, is driven by silence and subtext, everything building under the surface. Children is didactic, narrated and explained. In the first, we are engaged and become active in understanding the meaning of the narrative. In the latter, we are passive, being told what to think about the story. The old cliche "show don't tell" is driven home by comparing these two films.
In the Bedroom is a film I admire more with each viewing.
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