--- title: "In the Bedroom: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/in-the-bedroom/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/in-the-bedroom" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # In the Bedroom (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 16 reviews: 15 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are almost entirely favourable. Most critics call Todd Field’s directing debut unusually assured, praising the patience with which it builds an ordinary New England household before tragedy arrives and its refusal of melodrama once it has. Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek are singled out repeatedly for performances built on repression and choked-back words; Marisa Tomei is mentioned nearly as often. Several critics credit Field’s talent for stillness with making the violence feel as shocking as it would in life. The reservations, such as they are, gather around the second half’s move into thriller territory. The Guardian finds the shift less plausible and the film slightly short of the sum of its parts, and Eye for Film, the lone mixed voice, finds it slow and too tasteful, with a final turn it does not believe. Otherwise the spread is narrow: even the cooler notices from Roger Ebert and Peter Bradshaw stay firmly positive. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2001. Field’s impressive directing debut is an unadorned, unflinching film about fierce passions and grief, told with quiet sureness and exceptional acting that rings true. It rewards confidence in its story and performances that capture the private geography of love, grief, and obsession. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-23-ca-7314-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2001. The critic praises Todd Field's assured debut for its subtle, intense handling of grief and resentment without melodrama, highlighting the sophisticated direction and standout performances by Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson. The film is noted for its emotional architecture and shift into thriller territory while maintaining credibility. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/in-the-bedroom/) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 23 November 2001. This profoundly quiet drama about a New England couple coping with their son's murder cuts to the quick with its portrait of grief, rage, and revenge. The director understands that the essence of violence accumulates over time and shows in people's clenched faces and choked-back words. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/23/movies/film-review-when-grief-becomes-a-member-of-the-family.html) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2001. Festival review. Field marks an accomplished directorial debut with a powerfully dramatic story of a couple's slowly evolving reaction to family tragedy, beautifully acted by a diverse ensemble. The film honors a mature attention span in its evocation of place and unstressed emotions before a shocking murder. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2001/film/awards/in-the-bedroom-3-1200466261/) ## Empire — Chris Hewitt Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The review calls Field's debut a low-key but emotionally devastating examination of family, grief and vigilante justice that is superbly crafted. Wilkinson, Spacek and Tomei are singled out for magnificent performances alongside Field's sensitive direction. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bedroom-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2001. The critic praises Todd Field's assured directorial debut as a meditative, multilayered drama that chronicles a New England family's response to sudden tragedy with meticulous detail and without sentimentality or melodrama. Strong ensemble performances, especially from Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek, are singled out for their delicacy. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/in-the-bedroom/405004.article) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2001. The critic lauds Field's directorial debut for its wrenching melodrama, patient deliberation, and psychological depth, crediting strong performances especially by Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek. It highlights the film's assured handling of family tensions and community rhythms leading to a powerful payoff. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/in-the-bedroom-1798192846) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2001. Field has a terrific talent for stillness and achieves a convincing picture of everyday normality that makes violence feel as shocking as in real life. The drama centers on the parents' elemental, increasingly ironic story with Sophoclean logic. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/11/26/angry-people) ## IndieWire — Indiewire Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2001. The review calls it Field's shattering debut, emphasizing its emotional intensity and assured storytelling about loss and its aftermath. It singles out the director's handling of the material as a major achievement. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-in-the-bedroom-fields-shattering-debut-80641/) ## Time Out — NB Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The review describes the film as a supremely confident and controlled US indie that offers an immaculate family portrait before shifting into unpredictable emotional terrain. It singles out the restrained yet visceral depiction of grief and the healing process, particularly the performances by Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/in-the-bedroom) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2002. The critic describes the film as an intimate melodrama of rare conviction that holds up a dark mirror to grief, with wrenching results superbly played by the cast. Field's lean direction and the ensemble's performances are highlighted as making the emotional fallout feel raw and truthful. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/in-the-bedroom-review/) ## The Independent — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2002. The critic views the film as a serious, spare American tragedy about how grief divides rather than unites a family in small-town Maine. Field is praised for his patient, elliptical direction and strong casting of Wilkinson and Spacek in roles of emotional repression. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/in-the-bedroom-15-9185570.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 December 2001. The film slowly reveals its true subject as the marriage of Matt and Ruth, showing how hurt and sadness turn to anger and blame after a shocking event. It features exceptionally true performances, especially by Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson, that capture hidden struggles beneath civilized surfaces. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/in-the-bedroom-2001) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2002. The film is an intelligent, calmly-paced drama showcasing strong performances, particularly from Wilkinson, Spacek and Tomei, and effectively evokes the setting and grief of the parents. It falls slightly short of the sum of its parts due to an uncomfortable shift into thriller territory that feels less plausible. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jan/25/1) ## Collider — Thomas Butt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2025. The piece hails Todd Field's assured 2001 debut as a precise, intimate domestic drama about family tragedy and grief that announced him as a major talent. It singles out the career-best ensemble performances, especially from Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei, under Field's neutral, Kubrick-inspired direction. [Read the review](https://collider.com/in-the-bedroom-todd-field-marisa-tomei-sissy-spacek/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2002. The film is a mood piece that looks ravishing but is desperately slow and tasteful to a fault. Strong performances and delicate direction are praised, though the plot's final turn strains credibility. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/in-the-bedroom-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/in-the-bedroom.md