(Note: This review is based on a VHS/TV screening.)

A father, his son and a potential step-grandchild enjoy a day of lobster trapping. They pull up a cage (the bedroom) from the depths and drag out their catch.

The father educates the youth, "See, you can't have more than two lobsters in the bedroom at one time, one of them will rip an arm off the other." It's the set up for a film about loss. One of the family members is killed and the survivors struggle through their feelings and communication breakdowns thereof.

Like "The Sweet Hereafter," "In the bedroom" keeps a gentle somber tone and although it concludes ... it doesn't really resolve. Quite possibly this is the intent of the filmmakers; still filmgoers may feel less than satisfied. Good acting by all, and aside from one awkward scene with Marisa Tomei and her estranged husband early on, the direction is strong and compelling. However, the film lacks a dynamic emotive arch, opting for a nearly uninterrupted mood of loss.