In the Bedroom

A powerfully understated film about the emotional wreckage of losing a child, In the Bedroom is told through the subtle body language of broken hearts and depleted souls. Beginning as a love story between a young mother (Marisa Tomei) and her even younger boyfriend (Nick Stahl), the story takes a shocking turn when Stahl is murdered by Tomei's possessive ex-husband (a chillingly volatile William Mapother). The focus then turns to his devastated parents, played with unaffected layers of blindsided veracity by Oscar nominees Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson, as their relationship is sucked dry of its joy and tranquility by their inability to cope. Directed with a light but moving touch by actor-turned-director Todd Field (the piano player in Eyes Wide Shut), this is a masterpiece of abstruse anguish with a welcome--but not pandering--reprieve in the last act. Highly recommended. (R. Blackwelder)