Frankly I don't know what to think about this movie. It starts off slowly but engagingly, in large part due to strong performances by Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger, and the developing affair between Basinger and the (darn lucky!) 17-year old boy. Most of the characters are well directed and interesting/original enough to hold the viewer's attention, and the samples of children's literature writing & illustrations aren't bad.

However about 2/3rds of the way through this above-average august drama suddenly veers into absurdist farce/comedy requiring several suspensions of disbelief from the viewer in quick succession. Simply put, the main characters suddenly go very OUT of character, doing things that are not only hard to explain but also hard to believe, and the whole film takes on a weird, at times even goofy, surreal feeling.

I don't regret watching it, and even watched many of the scenes a second time, but not sure what on earth this film is really about or is trying to say, other than capture some slices of life of some fairly unique characters.

If you are shocked by sudden unexpected scenes of sexual nature, you may find some parts offensive. This film says a lot about loneliness, desire, love and loss. The acting is marvelous. An egocentric novelist played by Jeff Bridges is the central character. His "strangeness" reflects on everyone else and makes for a cast of characters who are not quite psychologically upright. We feel for the characters as they try to right their wounded lives.

A glimpse into the life of a Bohemian author/artist/hedonist and his estranged wife who has an affair with a visiting young teen, who brazenly writes a note to the husband bragging that he "did it sixty times with her". Expect a highly unusual absence of inhibitions and a mere token expression of natural male jealousy.

The movie's strengths consist of Jeff Bridges and Kim Bassinger who lend a *dignitas* to a lackluster script. The mediocre dialogue and dull stoicism leave us cold and inspire not a glimmer of affection or admiration for these three Bohemians. When the matron departs to an unknown destination, the two males mope around stupidly due to the decreased opportunity for sex. You can just hit the Stop button when Kim Bassinger exits stage left, because the rest of the movie is twenty minutes of nothing.

Still the film manages to entertain with dream houses, New England beach landscape, and most of all, good performances. I was reminded of how much I like Jeff Bridges and Kim Bassinger in these family roles. The scrawny, perpetually sullen teenager needs a haircut and a slap, but not to worry, he gets one--a slap, that is. The writer deprived him of any good lines at all. Mainly he spent the whole film standing around looking awkward and uncomfortable.

The title alludes to a book created by Ted Coles (Jeff Bridges), an artist and writer, which tells a tale for children in regards to a woman that has a child and secretive door in the floor. The door is not to be opened under any circumstances, but can one ask such a thing from an innocently curious child?

The Coles' live in a prolonged twilight of sorrow, as the wife, Marion (Kim Basinger), does not seem able to cope the loss their two teenage sons. The husband, Ted, seems to be the only one who provides love and care for the daughter, Ruth (Elle Fanning), while Marion struggles internally. Ruth desires her mother's affection, however, through her father she has learned that she is suffering. This is explained through lengthy nighttime conversations between Ruth and her father while they look at old photos of her two deceased brothers.

In the beginning of the film, Ted receives a letter that inquires if he needs an assistant. A student, Eddie O'Hare (Jon Foster), from the prestigious boarding school Exeter where the Coles' two sons once attended, desires to become a writer and wants to do an assistantship to learn the tool of the trade. Amidst this difficult time Ted wants to separate from Marion. Eddie is forced to face difficult issues of the Coles' and awkwardly he fumbles in the emotional disarray to which he has arrived. Ted on the other hand requires a driver, as he has recently lost his drivers license and Eddie is this license.

The melancholic atmosphere that director Tod Williams generates remains hanging throughout the film, which provides insight to how Marion might feel. This is a very crucial part of the film, as she seems to shut herself as tightly as a clam. Despite Marion's difficulty to express how she feels, it becomes painfully evident how she might be feeling through Kim Basinger's excellent performance and the cinematography that captures the cold environment. Short, interrupted, and meaningless dialogues provide further notions to the introverted sorrow that remains in the air, which leaves the audience in an emotional no man's land.

Eddie surrenders to this melancholic atmosphere, as he has a very difficult time finding something to hold on to while spending his summer on this Atlantic seaside island. Other teens seem to get along while Eddie remains an outsider. The socioeconomic status of Eddie seems to build boundaries between him and the other teens on the island, as he could only have attended Exeter through his father who is a teacher at the school. In Eddie's search for someone he discovers the beauty of Marion, whom he secretively pursues.

There is a strong sense of detachment among the characters that furthers the melancholy, yet all that are involved long for closeness and tender affection. However, this affection is different when the audience examines the adults, Ted and Marion, compared to the warmth that Ruth and Eddie desire. The adults seem to have been severely hurt by something in the past while the two younger characters innocently wander in the presence of the adults trying to find a way into their lives. Ted escapes reality through his art and an erotically loaded relationship with a woman who models for him, yet it does not provide what he seeks. Suffering and sorrow cut Marion off from her family, as she dwells on her painful memories deep within herself. This generates a silence between all parties, which Ruth and Eddie attempt to crack due to their innocence to the cruelties of the world.

Door in the Floor illustrates all the visual details in a relationship between a few individuals and what keeps them apart. Iciness and self-loathing breaks any possibility for affectionate connection between individuals, yet within this detached environment affections thrives when innocence breaks the self-contempt. This notion is visually symbolized through the seasonally cold summer where leaves and flowers insist on remaining in hiding. Williams' tale of bereavement and culminating grief brings a heartfelt experience to the audience that will follow the suffering to the end.

I really enjoyed this film for several reasons, the one above all is the performance of Jeff Bridges in this one. His caracter is witty, charming, and comical, while enduring the slow death of his marriage, and his unyielding love for his daughter, along with his struggle to write his next childrens novel. The plot has already been hatced over, so I wont bore you with it. You should know that the author of the book this film was base on, actually served as an advisor in making the film, which gives it credibility. The direction is excellent, the acting impressive, especially that of the daughter, who turned 5 while making this film. One sideline I should note here that some may not appreciate is the ageless grace the characters seem to have. Bridges, Basinger, and Mimi Rogers, are not young teen actors anymore, but even the nude scenes show a mature grace and attractiveness that many films would exploit in a vulgar way. All in all, a darn good film, well worth watching.