Todd Field's directorial debut "In The Bedroom" is relentlessly sad. Before I get to the many admirable things I have to say about this film, it's important to understand this basic fact. "In the Bedroom," based on a short story by the late Andre Dubus, takes you into the world of the Fowlers, Matt (Tom Wilkinson) and Ruth (Sissy Spacek), a refined, professional couple living in a working class town in Maine -- and truth be told, this is a world you might not want to enter.

The story begins when the Fowler's son Frank (Nick Stahl) comes home from college for the summer and begins a relationship with an older single mother (Marisa Tomei). From the opening scenes, Field lures you into the longing for a film "In The Bedroom" will never be: Stahl and Tomei on the grass, kissing in the late afternoon light, a gentle breeze lifting Tomei's hair, the ocean in the distance. A romance. The parents don't approve, the ex-husband is a bit rough, but you trust that the lovers will be able to overcome all obstacles. Nick Stahl is a winning young actor, and there is nothing not to like about him, from his open face to the faded patches in the crotch of his blue jeans. Marisa Tomei, better known for her eccentric parts in urban romantic comedies, is wonderful as uneducated local woman, convincing in her affection for the younger, privileged Frank, her gentle disbelief in the future of their relationship.

But romance is not what this movie is about. "In The Bedroom" has the weight of fiction: attention to detail, the slow, steady development of character, and careful plotting that goes beyond expectations and into the unknown. What happens offscreen is almost as important as what you see. The second act of the film takes a sudden, surprising shift. Tragedy strikes, the younger lovers fall into the background, and the film turns to the parents.

First-time director Todd Field is better known as an actor. He was the sensitive, trombone-playing boyfriend in Victor Nunez' "Ruby in Paradise," and the influence of Nunez seems clear in this film. Where Nunez' story is about class conditions and the texture of life in Florida, Field focuses on Maine. The cinematographer gives loving attention to the seaside town, the ocean, the trees, the woods, and the Victorian home of the Fowlers, filled with wood furniture, walls lined with books and covered with art. Like Nunez, Field takes time and care with each scene.

"In The Bedroom" brings to the screen subject matter that's considered terribly unsexy in American filmmaking. The intricacies of a middle-aged couple, class difference, friendship among men, grief, and domestic violence is presented without affect. This is strong work and not what you would expect from a young filmmaker at all. The performances are routinely strong. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson won the Special Jury Prize for acting at Sundance. Nick Stahl is more appealing than any young man I've seen on screen in a long time. The story is unnervingly compelling. The end will surprise you. What more can you ask from a movie? Maybe the relief of not sitting in a dark theater filled with dread, thinking: "Oh, no. Oh, no."