The Son's Room

The Son's Room is a moving yet sober drama about the grieving process in an Italian middle-class family, whose world collapses when the son dies in a drowning accident.

The psychiatrist Giovanni, his wife, the gallery owner Paola, and their two teenage children Irene and Andrea are comfortably off and have a well-functioning family life. That does not mean everyday life is free of problems. For example, the son Andrea is suspected of having stolen an object from school. On the whole, though, life is good.

The family's everyday life is turned completely upside down when tragedy strikes. Gone is all mental reserve. Each of them stands alone and withdraws into themselves. None of them has the energy to reach out to the others. The mother cries constantly, the father blames himself incessantly, and the sister reacts with unprecedented anger and violence.

How is the vicious circle to be broken? It looks like a turning point when the family meets Andrea's summer girlfriend Arianna. For the first time in a long while they can smile and laugh.

The story is told sensitively and realistically, and Nanni Moretti avoids grand gestures and dripping sentimentality. One irritating aspect of the film, however, is the director's visible self-absorption, which is reminiscent of Woody Allen. Without any convincing reason there is far more focus on his character and his inner conflicts than on the other family members.