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.