Based on the novel, Widow for a Year, by John Irving, The Door in the Floor is director Tod Williams' second major motion picture. The film stars Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger as a wealthy Long Island couple whose marriage is on the rocks following the tragic deaths of their two sons. Tensions form when Bridges' character -- an author of exemplary, albeit twisted, children's books -- invites a rising Exeter senior (Jon Foster) to be his apprentice for a summer.
On the surface, The Door in the Floor is yet another Summer-of-'42-esque film. At a deeper level, the movie is reminiscent of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things in that the fundamental nature of its plot changes about 2/3 of the way through. Aside from being a tad formulaic in the first half, the film's greatest drawback is the discrepancy between Bridges' stellar performance and Basinger's mediocre performance.
Ultimately, watching this movie is like getting the sensation from a psychological York Peppermint Patty. Like Six Feet Under, it shows that people often aren't at all who they appear to be, and their intentions often aren't at all what they seem to be. It leaves a viewer with the ironic idea that perhaps the only way to attain true innocence, with regard to coexisting with other humans, is to first take a big bite of immorality.
The Door in the Floor is the type of film that leaves one with far more questions than answers, and thus a slight urge to answer those questions with a second viewing; ipso facto, it was a good film.
