In the Bedroom

I have to issue a small complaint concerning the title. In the first few minutes it is explained that a lobster entering a trap goes “into the bedroom.” Possibly this applies to what comes after in some metaphorical way, but it went over my head. The story is of a couple (Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson) whose college-bound son falls in love with Marisa Tomei, an older woman who is trying to separate from her crazy asshole of a husband, who happens to be part of the richest family in town, owners of the local fish-packing plant.

SPOILER ALERT

The husband kills the son, and it looks as if, with the high-powered shysters the family can afford, the bastard could be out of prison in five years or less. Naturally this doesn’t go down well with the father. And even with the spoiler alert I shouldn’t reveal what the father does about that. It surprised me, as this seemed like more of a study of the psychology of what happens to a couple who lose a son than … well, I’ve said enough. All involved turn in top-notch performances.