The film In the Bedroom relates perfectly to many issues addressed in Chapter Four of our textbook. The main characters encounter many different emotions throughout the course of the storyline. As the film opens we see two young lovers and their interactions with both Frank's mother and father. The mother is shown as distrustful of Frank's girlfriend while the father seems to support their relationship. One scene that stands out in a foreshadowing of events to come is the interaction that takes place while the men are out on the boat discussing the lobster traps. The camera shows a lobster with only one remaining claw and Frank's father explains that this occurs when more than two male lobsters are "in the bedroom." As the story unfolds and we see the violence that occurs between the current boyfriend and husband this statement becomes very telling. .
When Frank is murdered the film focuses on how both of his parents deal with the grief and struggles over losing their only son. The parents were shown as having a happy relationship before his murder. As they deal with their emotions they are quick to point fingers at each other and their relationship begins to deteriorate quickly. They experienced multiple feelings because, combined with the death itself, both had to deal with the likelihood that his murderer would not receive a strict punishment for his crime. This led to intense feelings of anger and hopelessness on top of the depression they were already experiencing. Both mother and father found it difficult to communicate their feelings leading to more debilitative emotions. This lack of communication and their apprehension to discuss their emotions led to a domino effect and worsened their relationship and emotional status. As the mother becomes more depressed over the situation emotional contagion becomes apparent also. The depression experienced by the mother plays a direct role in the failure of the father to emotionally heal and improve.