Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2001: Marisa Tomei in In the Bedroom

Marisa Tomei received her second Oscar nomination for her performance as Natalie Strout in In the Bedroom.

In the Bedroom is a harrowing movie about a married couple trying to cope with their son's death and with the lack of punishment for his killer. It's an excellent drama with great acting, an intelligent, brilliant screenplay (that probably should have won the Oscar) and an excellent direction; it's a slow-paced experience but it never drags - it's captivating every single step of the way, building up perfectly to the unforgettable, haunting ending. It's a great movie, maybe even a bit underrated.

The first half an hour of the movie focuses on Matt (Tom Wilkinson) and Beth (Sissy Spacek) quietly reacting to their son Frank's (Nick Stahl) relationship with an older divorced woman with two sons, Natalie, played by Tomei. The chemistry between Stahl and Tomei is not necessarily anything truly outstanding, but I don't think it's ever supposed to be: they create a rather quiet and unassuming dynamic that works perfectly within the extremely realistic approach of the movie and realize their character's mutual feelings exceptionally well. Theirs is not supposed to be a legendary romance but rather a low-key, tender connection between two very different people: Stahl portrays Frank as a hopeful, lively young man while Tomei effectively establishes Natalie as a nice but also weary person who knows how life works and does not delude herself in any way; at the same time, though, Stahl and Tomei convey a mutual respect, understanding and warmth in their interactions throughout the movie and they make for a believable couple. One of their best moments together is probably the one in which Frank tells Natalie he wants to take a break from university, much to her dismay: Tomei is particularly excellent here and she's quite moving at showing how Natalie does not want Frank to give up anything in his life for their relationship - there's a heartbreaking sadness in her performance as Tomei conveys Natalie's awareness of the fact that her relationship with Frank could hardly last forever in spite of their honest feelings. Tomei is also very impressive in her portrayal of Natalie's interactions with Matt and Beth: she just captures so vividly and realistically Natalie's feeling of discomfort and embarrassment around Frank's parents - the fact that these moments feel so life-like make them particularly special. She is also extremely good in her few scenes with William Mapother who plays her ill-tempered, abusive ex-husband Richard: Tomei is terrific in their scenes together as she conveys perfectly Natalie's unease or even fear when he is around and even if their past together is never explored in depth there is no need to because both actors manages to give you an idea of their previous life in the couple of scenes devoted to them. 

Tomei is given some challenging, dramatic moments later on in the movie and she solves them with ease and admirable skill. I would say she is one of the strongest elements of the murder scene - she conveys her character's distress perfectly through her body acting and her trembling line-deliveries add a lot of tension to the whole situation and her scream as the murder occurs couldn't be more chilling. She also conveys a wide range of emotions during the trial scenes - her shock and distress over the situation, her grief over the loss of her boyfriend, her disbelief due to the untactful and unbelievable questions of the lawyer... she does not hold back anything with her acting but she never overdoes it either: she portrays Natalie's shattered, messed-up emotional state so convincingly that she is more than realistic, she is downright raw and devastating. 

Tomei has a very few scenes over the rest of the movie but she makes the most out of all these tiny moments. Her encounter with Tom Wilkinson's Matt is a particularly remarkable scene that Tomei portrays with unexpected quietness: it's a heartbreaking moment that does not have much dialogue on her part but it is not needed - Tomei portrays so perfectly the familiar feeling of wanting to say so much to somebody but just not finding the right words for it. She conveys excellently Natalie's guilt and shame over the whole situation and she is quite moving at showing how Natalie's emotional state has become less desperate but rather more depressed, haggard and melancholic. I actually sort of hate her final scene (my least favorite aspect of the movie) as I felt the character and the performance deserved a much better closure but Tomei is still very good in it.

In the end Marisa Tomei gives a realistic and emotionally resonant performance in In the Bedroom. She flawlessly inhabits her character turning a potential plot-device into a three-dimensional, heartbreaking figure, even if she is dropped unceremoniously halfway through. A powerful performance from a versatile, skilled actress. 

4.5/5