In the Bedroom (2001)

In the Bedroom is a 2001 American drama film directed by Todd Field from a screenplay by Field and Robert Festinger, based on the 1979 short story "Killings" by Andre Dubus. It stars Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei, and William Mapother. The film centers on the inner dynamics of a family in transition. Matt Fowler (Wilkinson) is a doctor practicing in Maine and is married to Ruth Fowler (Spacek), a music teacher. Their son Frank (Stahl) is involved in a love affair with an older single mother, Natalie Strout (Tomei).

The title refers to the rear compartment of a lobster trap known as the "bedroom" and how it can hold only two lobsters before the lobsters begin to turn on each other. In the Bedroom premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. It was theatrically released in limited theatres on November 23, 2001, and grossed $44.8 million against a $1.7 million budget. The film was praised for Field's direction, its screenplay and the performances (particularly those of Spacek, Wilkinson, Stahl and Tomei).

In the Bedroom received 5 nominations at the 74th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (for Spacek), Best Actor (for Wilkinson) and Best Supporting Actress (for Tomei). The film also earned Spacek and Wilkinson nominations for Best Actress and Best Actor respectively at the 55th British Academy Film Awards and the 8th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Spacek's performance in the film earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress. Moreover, the film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of the year while Spacek's performance was named the best female performance of the year.