I read almost all the reviews, before watching the film. I was impressed by the contradictive opinions. Some 1500 users (approx. 10%) rated it from 5 to 1. Personally, I was fascinated by the film. On the other hand I will never blame anyone who disliked it. I just try to understand why someone rejects what I like and that's why I read the "negative" reviews twice, trying (like Giovanni) to analyze reviewers' characters.
Certainly this is not a film for Hollywood/Marvel fans.
European cinema deals mostly with real people in real life incidents and stories.
Therefore they apply to completely different audiences than the above mentioned fans.
So, for European mentalities the film is very good, believe me!
93 Reviews
An Italian Kieslowski
paul2001sw-111 August 2004
It takes a certain amount of cheek to write, direct and star in your own films and Nanni Moretti's earlier work, 'Carao Diaro', was certainly eccentric, as he played himself as an annoying and socially limited loner. In 'The Son's Room', he proves he can act a role, in a more orthodox portrait of a family struggling to come to terms with the death of their son. The portrait of inter-generational relationships seems over-idealised (and how many teenagers are into Brian Eno?), but the real strength of this film is its sense of inicidentality. Instead of playing as straight melodrama, we see the family trying to continue with their lives, and in particular Moretti's character, a psychotherapist, interacting with his patients. The importance attached to the chance juxtaposition of events is reminiscent of Kieslowski, as is some of the dialogue: stylised but profound, even (or even because) its relationship to the main events is oblique: the whole carries meaning precisely because the individual parts are not overloaded, everything is potentially symbolic but nothing is forced. At the end of the day you believe in these characters; as a result, their tragedy rings with truth.
A relatively straightforward film about a father dealing with the death of his son.
khanbaliq24 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A close-knit family unit begins to unravel when the teenage son dies in an accident.
The Son's Room is a subtle, gentle study of bereavement, sharp on the distinction between public and private grief, that mixes director Nanni Moretti's usual wry humour with a new-found profundity: the results are both funny and sad, but always lively and inquisitive. Its ending is all the more moving for being discreet and understated. The film was the winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It also appears in Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time at number 480.
The Son's Room is a subtle, gentle study of bereavement, sharp on the distinction between public and private grief, that mixes director Nanni Moretti's usual wry humour with a new-found profundity: the results are both funny and sad, but always lively and inquisitive. Its ending is all the more moving for being discreet and understated. The film was the winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It also appears in Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time at number 480.
The sincerity of a reformed satirist
Chris Knipp1 May 2004
[s p o i l e r s ]
"The Son's Room" ("La stanza del figlio"), in a way, is really two stories.
The first, rather humorous one, more typical of director/writer/star Nanni Moretti's previous work, concerns a somewhat ineffectual Italian psychiatrist, played by Moretti himself. `Italian' and `psychiatrist' sounds like a funny combination to start with. Giovanni, the analyst (Moretti) has a passive Freudian professional persona that sets him up for criticism and even abuse by his egocentric patients. This gently satirical situation underlines the idleness of middleclass people enmeshed in their mostly self-created `problems.' The second story is the much sadder one of how the psychiatrist's little family (Giovanni; Laura Morante as Paula, his wife; and Jasmine Trinca as Irene, their daughter) lose their beautiful young son and brother Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice, of Gabriele Muccino's "Io come te nessuno mai") in a tragic accident, and must come to terms with their irreparable loss. Both stories are sketched in briefly, the family idealized, the patients' personalities reduced to types. What surprises is that Moretti's movie achieves real emotional authenticity precisely because if its light Italian touch.
The two threads intertwine when Andrea's sudden death leads Moretti's character to realize his psychiatric work is pointless. He quits, at least temporarily, and some of his patients' reactions are not what we'd expect. We don't know if he'll go back or not. His wife falls apart too, husband and wife stop sleeping together, and their daughter is so sad and angry she gets herself suspended from her high school basketball team, of which she's a star, breaks up with her boyfriend, and says she doesn't miss him a bit. Giovanni is plagued by guilt because he went off in a car to see a far-flung patient in need instead of jogging with Andrea as originally planned and thus preventing him from going diving with his friends. He keeps having flashbacks to what might have been, blaming himself, the diving equipment, and the patient. A metaphor from the priest at the funeral that's meant to be comforting enrages him.
Eventually a chance event turns things around. Paola opens a letter to Andrea from a girl called Arianna (Sofia Vigliar) who met him briefly in the summer and fell in love. She calls the girl and tells her what has happened. Arianna drops by with another boy waiting below who's about to hitchhike to France with her. They take the two youths to the border. Somehow this trip leads the family to emerge from their grief and take a few timid, hopeful steps toward a return to living.
What makes "The Son's Room" emotionally convincing is the unmanipulative way Andrea's death is handled. It's completely sudden and unexpected. Nothing is done to pump up the tragedy. The boy had flaws. He has admitted he was involved in a theft at school - but it was only done as a prank. He lacks the will to win at tennis and `loses on purpose' in a game the family and Sandro, the sister's boyfriend, are present to watch. But these minor flaws only underline what a nice, handsome, likeable young guy he is and help us to feel the survivors' grief with them. Above all the actor playing Andrea simply seems happy. The style itself is the simplest: none of the sweeping camera pans, flowing music, or squealing "telefonini" of Gabriele Muccino or other contemporary Italian directors.
They grieve briefly and intensely. The scene where they take last looks and plant last kisses on Andrea's body before the coffin is soldered and nailed shut is heart-wrenching and as sudden, mysterious and traumatic as his drowning. The parents and the daughter return to their lives but it's too soon. They aren't ready; they haven't had enough time. Such a death doesn't provide any preparation for the process of grieving. They're left shattered and angry and they go through a period of bitterness and rebellion. It's not denial, because they have responded immediately to the loss of Andrea with tears and crying. But it's obvious that Giovanni is obsessively trying to replay the events in his mind. The rebellion has to play itself out for some time, and this is what we see beginning to end. The movie doesn't say what will happen in the future. It only shows that the family has tentatively begun to live again.
What's authentic and good about this little movie is that nothing is overdrawn. Italian restraint prevails. Everyone has been depicted as `normal,' typical, and presentable (qualities Italians are more comfortable with than Americans may be); but no one is glamorized or falsified. Nothing is done to `tweak' the tragedy, to make it heavy with foreshadowing or pumped up with excessive details or `excitement' or supporting actors. The utter simplicity of the production allows the tragedy to speak for itself simply and powerfully.
As a psychiatrist Moretti seems a bit buffoonish (as he does in his earlier diaristic films), his patients a tad overdrawn, particularly a sex fiend portrayed by "Last Kiss" star Stefano Accorsi. But they'd be tedious otherwise and would detract from the main action. One wonders why Andrea isn't given a few more evident accomplishments aside from looking pretty and being sweet. But the point here is valid: that a teenager is unformed, and teenage boys are inarticulate and therefore mysterious. The excellent Laura Morante does splendid work here as the grieving mother. Jasmine Trinca as the sister, like the others, is appealing and real.
Altogether this is Moretti's most emotionally powerful movie and one of his most successful. He yields his former efforts to be conceptual and clever in favor of authenticity and universality and the gamble succeeds.
As a person who myself lost a sibling in a tragic childhood accident, I find it hard to understand those who scoff at this movie, which feels sincere and true to me. Consider this prejudice or specialized knowledge as you like.
"The Son's Room" ("La stanza del figlio"), in a way, is really two stories.
The first, rather humorous one, more typical of director/writer/star Nanni Moretti's previous work, concerns a somewhat ineffectual Italian psychiatrist, played by Moretti himself. `Italian' and `psychiatrist' sounds like a funny combination to start with. Giovanni, the analyst (Moretti) has a passive Freudian professional persona that sets him up for criticism and even abuse by his egocentric patients. This gently satirical situation underlines the idleness of middleclass people enmeshed in their mostly self-created `problems.' The second story is the much sadder one of how the psychiatrist's little family (Giovanni; Laura Morante as Paula, his wife; and Jasmine Trinca as Irene, their daughter) lose their beautiful young son and brother Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice, of Gabriele Muccino's "Io come te nessuno mai") in a tragic accident, and must come to terms with their irreparable loss. Both stories are sketched in briefly, the family idealized, the patients' personalities reduced to types. What surprises is that Moretti's movie achieves real emotional authenticity precisely because if its light Italian touch.
The two threads intertwine when Andrea's sudden death leads Moretti's character to realize his psychiatric work is pointless. He quits, at least temporarily, and some of his patients' reactions are not what we'd expect. We don't know if he'll go back or not. His wife falls apart too, husband and wife stop sleeping together, and their daughter is so sad and angry she gets herself suspended from her high school basketball team, of which she's a star, breaks up with her boyfriend, and says she doesn't miss him a bit. Giovanni is plagued by guilt because he went off in a car to see a far-flung patient in need instead of jogging with Andrea as originally planned and thus preventing him from going diving with his friends. He keeps having flashbacks to what might have been, blaming himself, the diving equipment, and the patient. A metaphor from the priest at the funeral that's meant to be comforting enrages him.
Eventually a chance event turns things around. Paola opens a letter to Andrea from a girl called Arianna (Sofia Vigliar) who met him briefly in the summer and fell in love. She calls the girl and tells her what has happened. Arianna drops by with another boy waiting below who's about to hitchhike to France with her. They take the two youths to the border. Somehow this trip leads the family to emerge from their grief and take a few timid, hopeful steps toward a return to living.
What makes "The Son's Room" emotionally convincing is the unmanipulative way Andrea's death is handled. It's completely sudden and unexpected. Nothing is done to pump up the tragedy. The boy had flaws. He has admitted he was involved in a theft at school - but it was only done as a prank. He lacks the will to win at tennis and `loses on purpose' in a game the family and Sandro, the sister's boyfriend, are present to watch. But these minor flaws only underline what a nice, handsome, likeable young guy he is and help us to feel the survivors' grief with them. Above all the actor playing Andrea simply seems happy. The style itself is the simplest: none of the sweeping camera pans, flowing music, or squealing "telefonini" of Gabriele Muccino or other contemporary Italian directors.
They grieve briefly and intensely. The scene where they take last looks and plant last kisses on Andrea's body before the coffin is soldered and nailed shut is heart-wrenching and as sudden, mysterious and traumatic as his drowning. The parents and the daughter return to their lives but it's too soon. They aren't ready; they haven't had enough time. Such a death doesn't provide any preparation for the process of grieving. They're left shattered and angry and they go through a period of bitterness and rebellion. It's not denial, because they have responded immediately to the loss of Andrea with tears and crying. But it's obvious that Giovanni is obsessively trying to replay the events in his mind. The rebellion has to play itself out for some time, and this is what we see beginning to end. The movie doesn't say what will happen in the future. It only shows that the family has tentatively begun to live again.
What's authentic and good about this little movie is that nothing is overdrawn. Italian restraint prevails. Everyone has been depicted as `normal,' typical, and presentable (qualities Italians are more comfortable with than Americans may be); but no one is glamorized or falsified. Nothing is done to `tweak' the tragedy, to make it heavy with foreshadowing or pumped up with excessive details or `excitement' or supporting actors. The utter simplicity of the production allows the tragedy to speak for itself simply and powerfully.
As a psychiatrist Moretti seems a bit buffoonish (as he does in his earlier diaristic films), his patients a tad overdrawn, particularly a sex fiend portrayed by "Last Kiss" star Stefano Accorsi. But they'd be tedious otherwise and would detract from the main action. One wonders why Andrea isn't given a few more evident accomplishments aside from looking pretty and being sweet. But the point here is valid: that a teenager is unformed, and teenage boys are inarticulate and therefore mysterious. The excellent Laura Morante does splendid work here as the grieving mother. Jasmine Trinca as the sister, like the others, is appealing and real.
Altogether this is Moretti's most emotionally powerful movie and one of his most successful. He yields his former efforts to be conceptual and clever in favor of authenticity and universality and the gamble succeeds.
As a person who myself lost a sibling in a tragic childhood accident, I find it hard to understand those who scoff at this movie, which feels sincere and true to me. Consider this prejudice or specialized knowledge as you like.
True, real emotion
photograph396 October 2001
Nanni Moretti's deserved winner of the Palme D'Or was a controversial choice, if only because it is a film grounded in reality and truth. We know these characters for a change, they are the neighbours whom we fear approach because of their loss and raw pain.
Moretti, in his subtle yet magnificent performance and in his deft, assured direction, has crafted a film which transcends cliche and sentimentality in spite of its well trodden subject matter. As in his earlier effort, 'Caro Diario' the viewer is held transfixed by his languid cinematic storytelling, which is nonetheless riveting.
Without resorting to pat endings or easy solutions to the characters' individual suffering (beautifully rendered by each of the performers, whose roles portray distinct yet relevant facets of grief) the film manages a redemption in unexpected, yet highly satisfying, fashion. I left the screening at the Toronto International Film Festival feeling completely exhilarated and grateful to this natural filmmaker.
A beautiful portrait of true, real emotion.
Moretti, in his subtle yet magnificent performance and in his deft, assured direction, has crafted a film which transcends cliche and sentimentality in spite of its well trodden subject matter. As in his earlier effort, 'Caro Diario' the viewer is held transfixed by his languid cinematic storytelling, which is nonetheless riveting.
Without resorting to pat endings or easy solutions to the characters' individual suffering (beautifully rendered by each of the performers, whose roles portray distinct yet relevant facets of grief) the film manages a redemption in unexpected, yet highly satisfying, fashion. I left the screening at the Toronto International Film Festival feeling completely exhilarated and grateful to this natural filmmaker.
A beautiful portrait of true, real emotion.
Endless grief
jpblondeau19 March 2006
The family ties in this film are so astoundingly true to life, it almost brings back the tears... I cannot think of a better film dealing with grief than La Stanza del Figlio, I swear on my own life. You could think that there was nothing new to bring to the subject of the movie, and boy would you be very very wrong. Moretti deals with the loss of his son in such an amazingly realistic way, it's almost scary... And the sister, played by Jasmine Trinca, is also an endearing character. You truly and deeply feel what their family feels - the negative reviews on this type of movie are ill-directed because they are NOT the target audience. They unfortunately sneaked in the wrong theater !!
Moretti's best. Period.
Moretti's best. Period.
The Son's Room
lasttimeisaw29 March 2012
I watched this film several years before on TV, but interrupted and left unfinished, this time finally watched in the Febiofest's special program of Nanni Moretti's canon.
The general thoughts after watching it in the cinema is that this Cannes' Palme d'Or winner is lagging behind its award-winning prestige, during the whole process, it is difficult to single out any extraordinariness from it, which baffles me so much. The narrative is rather mediocre, any anticipated set piece are orchestrated in a mannered template, leaves a mawkish and maudlin impression of ennui (Brian Ono's BY THE RIVER is overtly pretentious here). The pain of losing one's dearest is a torment could slowly erode one's soul and drop in from time to time, which has nothing unexpectedly thrilling or soothing from the film's exposition.
If Moretti could be ranked as the Italian equivalence of Woody Allen, I divine the chief enjoyment should spring from its script and dialogue, in this case it is just as barren and conventional like as other tacky family tearjerkers, in spite of a hotchpotch of various patients of the psychiatrist adds up some emotional bite while being not too sharp-wittedly different from other generic shrink clichés. Compared with QUIET CHAOS (2008), another bereavement drama starring Moretti under the helm of Antonello Grimaldi, which fetches a 7/10, THE SON'S ROOM is a torrent of tepid water, the warmth it heats up is not as unaffected as I had expected.
The whole cast did a good job but nothing attracts any special attention, while Laura Morante's tearless grief of losing her only son is over-stagy, ironically Moretti is a much more natural actor by comparison, after all, the film does not deserve his overstated cachet, nor does Nanni Moretti.
The general thoughts after watching it in the cinema is that this Cannes' Palme d'Or winner is lagging behind its award-winning prestige, during the whole process, it is difficult to single out any extraordinariness from it, which baffles me so much. The narrative is rather mediocre, any anticipated set piece are orchestrated in a mannered template, leaves a mawkish and maudlin impression of ennui (Brian Ono's BY THE RIVER is overtly pretentious here). The pain of losing one's dearest is a torment could slowly erode one's soul and drop in from time to time, which has nothing unexpectedly thrilling or soothing from the film's exposition.
If Moretti could be ranked as the Italian equivalence of Woody Allen, I divine the chief enjoyment should spring from its script and dialogue, in this case it is just as barren and conventional like as other tacky family tearjerkers, in spite of a hotchpotch of various patients of the psychiatrist adds up some emotional bite while being not too sharp-wittedly different from other generic shrink clichés. Compared with QUIET CHAOS (2008), another bereavement drama starring Moretti under the helm of Antonello Grimaldi, which fetches a 7/10, THE SON'S ROOM is a torrent of tepid water, the warmth it heats up is not as unaffected as I had expected.
The whole cast did a good job but nothing attracts any special attention, while Laura Morante's tearless grief of losing her only son is over-stagy, ironically Moretti is a much more natural actor by comparison, after all, the film does not deserve his overstated cachet, nor does Nanni Moretti.
Absorbing and Compelling
mgr8176012 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
A really excellent effort on a theme that can be very dangerous--in respect to maudlin performance and hack writing. Absorbing and compelling because it is so real. I didn't feel for a moment as though the actors were doing anything but expressing the human emotions of that family, no need for drama, just to be oneself.
It's odd in that one could plot this film out before the various events happened, yet still not feel cheated. As when Moretti sees himself declining to go to the patient's home, and thereby saving Andrea's life by default. We all have had those moments where we've second guessed ourselves over life's crucial decisions, and the way it is was done was just so natural that you didn't feel "cheated" in any way that you had foreseen his reaction, because you foresaw it on the basis of your own experience...you can imagine the exact same thoughts going through your own head, counting the seconds before you say yes, and wishing you had said no...
One comment on the question of psychoanalysis, as many comments seem to suggest that Moretti is panning it. I hold no brief for the practice, but, I don't think that's what he's saying. The people are feeling real pain. Some are, yes, just the ordinary neurotic. But others are the sex addict who, as he says, "is not well", and knows it. And Moretti does help the patients...he doesn't seem to realize it himself, but in the end, the woman who says, "...I'll wait for you, I'll make it my next date" is representative of the good he has done her. Moretti has given the man who has cancer the means to face up to it, instead of bemoaning his own life. You can't win them all, but Moretti learns that he can win some of them.
I saw "Ordinary People" as well. An excellent film, with a great performance by MTM. But, in the end, "Ordinary People" was a story. "The Son's Room" is life.
It's odd in that one could plot this film out before the various events happened, yet still not feel cheated. As when Moretti sees himself declining to go to the patient's home, and thereby saving Andrea's life by default. We all have had those moments where we've second guessed ourselves over life's crucial decisions, and the way it is was done was just so natural that you didn't feel "cheated" in any way that you had foreseen his reaction, because you foresaw it on the basis of your own experience...you can imagine the exact same thoughts going through your own head, counting the seconds before you say yes, and wishing you had said no...
One comment on the question of psychoanalysis, as many comments seem to suggest that Moretti is panning it. I hold no brief for the practice, but, I don't think that's what he's saying. The people are feeling real pain. Some are, yes, just the ordinary neurotic. But others are the sex addict who, as he says, "is not well", and knows it. And Moretti does help the patients...he doesn't seem to realize it himself, but in the end, the woman who says, "...I'll wait for you, I'll make it my next date" is representative of the good he has done her. Moretti has given the man who has cancer the means to face up to it, instead of bemoaning his own life. You can't win them all, but Moretti learns that he can win some of them.
I saw "Ordinary People" as well. An excellent film, with a great performance by MTM. But, in the end, "Ordinary People" was a story. "The Son's Room" is life.
The Son's Room
jboothmillard15 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I found out about this Italian film because it used to be listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it sounded like something really worthwhile, so I was looking forward to watching it, directed by Nanni Moretti (Dear Diary). Basically, in Ancona, Giovanni Sermonti (Nanni Moretti) is a psychoanalyst with a seemingly endless string of trivial problems his patients ramble on about. His 17-year-old son Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice) is accused of stealing a rare ammonite fossil from his school and suspended, he protested his innocence, but he secretly tells his mother Paola (Laura Morante) he and his friend stole it as a prank and intended to return it. Giovanni and Andrea had planned to go jogging together, but Giovanni is called by a patient who is severely distressed about a possible cancer diagnosis. Instead, Andrea goes scuba diving with a friend and swims into an underwater cave, where he accidentally drowns. Giovanni, Paola and their daughter Irene (Jasmine Trinca) are left to mourn. Giovanni investigates and becomes suspicious that Andrea's diving equipment was defective, but Paola reminds him the verdict was that it was functioning properly. Following the tragedy, Giovanni finds it difficult to analyse the struggles of his patients, particularly the one he went to see on the day Andrea died, he shows signs of impatience and hostility towards them. One day, Paola receives a love letter sent to Andrea by a girl named Arianna (Sofia Vigliar), who the family have never met, they never knew Andrea had a girlfriend. They realise she does not know Andrea has died and get in contact with her, inviting her to their home. Arianna shows up to see Giovanni while travelling to another destination. She shows him photographs Andrea sent her of himself in his room, some of which are very amusing. The family welcomes Arianna and offers to host her in their home, but she informs them she is hitchhiking with her friend Stefano (Alessandro Ascoli) to spend vacation in France. The family offers Arianna and Stefano a ride, but the journey lingers, and they reach Menton, in the border between Italy and France. Bidding Arianna and Stefano goodbye, the family watch their bus leave Italy and wander in the beach as a new life awaits them. Also starring Silvio Orlando as Oscar, Claudia Della Seta as Raffaella, Stefano Accorsi as Tommaso, Renato Scarpa as Headmaster and Roberto Nobile as Priest. This is a very affective story of an accidental death that leads to severe grief and guilt, and then of course someone close has to be told and they are forced to confront their feelings, with terrific performances and realistic themes of inconsolable bereavement and anguish, a most interesting drama. Good!
Breaks no new ground; not the slightest bit trendy -- I loved it.
FilmSnobby2 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Affecting drama about a comfortable -- perhaps TOO comfortable -- Italian family who must deal with the sudden and unexpected loss of one of their own. *The Son's Room* is directed and written by Nanni Moretti; he also stars in the lead role of the psychiatrist patriarch. After watching the movie, I Googled a bit about Moretti and learned that the Italians consider him to be their version of Woody Allen. This reputation must rest on an earlier satirical body of work, because I found little of Allen's influence here. (In fact, the way this film critiques psychiatrists and analysis in general, Moretti may very well be the UN-Woody Allen.) I guess I'll have to take their word for it, as only two of his films have actually received distribution here in the States. If *The Son's Room* is any guide, we're missing out on a lot.
It's not that the film shows us something "new"; in fact, the case is rather the reverse. American viewers who remember Redford's *Ordinary People* may accuse Moretti of plagiarism, but he can hardly be accused of plagiarizing the hysteria, the hammy overacting, and the evidently sincere belief in the utility of psychoanalysis that constitute the primary elements of that earlier American film. In this movie, there is no hack writer's fantasy about uptight well-to-do WASPs "denying" their grief, or hiding it from their country club friends. *The Son's Room* is a day-to-day chronicle of how a family deals with the grinding course of grief, and, as such, strikes me as an unusual undertaking. Why? Because there are no gimmicks here; no deep, dark secrets; no "ethnic" shrink (one of the Hack Writer's favorite stereotypes) to instruct the family on how to be emotional. Heck, the hero of the film IS a shrink (and they're all Italians!), but these facts don't mitigate the agonizing loss of a child. Indeed, the family suffers the usual episodes of derangement: Moretti breaks things in the kitchen and lashes out at his patients; his wife is inconsolable and banishes her husband from the bed; their daughter gets in fights on the basketball court. Nope, nothing "new" . . . and perhaps this is why *The Son's Room* won the Palme d'Or in 2001. It ain't new, but it's Real.
Even better, the movie is not wholly a slog through depression. The mood is lightened by the scenes in the analyst's office, in which Moretti listens to a parade of neurotics nattering away about their largely non-existent problems: we get the sex-addict; the hypochondriac; the obsessive-compulsive, etc. Obviously one of the film's main functions is to expose the psychoanalysis racket. Even before Moretti's son dies, he never seems inspired by his work, never seems to actually help his patients, and barely contains his boredom. The movie goes out of its way to demonstrate that when issues of real consequence occur, psychiatry offers no anodynes. When one of his patients gets cancer, Moretti -- in a real, unguarded moment after his son has already died -- bitterly suggests that mental attitude has nothing to with the chances for survival. And, of course, Moretti himself finds no professionally applied salve for his pain . . . such amelioration can only come from time, and from his family. Psychiatry is obviously useless in these cases; it works much better when you don't have any real problems.
I want to finish by saluting the fine, naturalistic performances by Moretti, the lovely Laura Morante as his wife, Jasmine Trinca as the teenage daughter, and Giuseppe Sanfelice -- appropriately close-lipped and mysterious, with just the right amount of a 16-year-old's childish mischievousness -- as the son Andrea. I also appreciated the top-notch transitions that Moretti gets from his editor: the scenes tend to end abruptly, jarring us out of a prolonged involvement with the characters and situations, like rude interruptions. This is a fitting editorial style for a film that concerns itself with an ultimate rude "interruption".
9 stars out of 10.
It's not that the film shows us something "new"; in fact, the case is rather the reverse. American viewers who remember Redford's *Ordinary People* may accuse Moretti of plagiarism, but he can hardly be accused of plagiarizing the hysteria, the hammy overacting, and the evidently sincere belief in the utility of psychoanalysis that constitute the primary elements of that earlier American film. In this movie, there is no hack writer's fantasy about uptight well-to-do WASPs "denying" their grief, or hiding it from their country club friends. *The Son's Room* is a day-to-day chronicle of how a family deals with the grinding course of grief, and, as such, strikes me as an unusual undertaking. Why? Because there are no gimmicks here; no deep, dark secrets; no "ethnic" shrink (one of the Hack Writer's favorite stereotypes) to instruct the family on how to be emotional. Heck, the hero of the film IS a shrink (and they're all Italians!), but these facts don't mitigate the agonizing loss of a child. Indeed, the family suffers the usual episodes of derangement: Moretti breaks things in the kitchen and lashes out at his patients; his wife is inconsolable and banishes her husband from the bed; their daughter gets in fights on the basketball court. Nope, nothing "new" . . . and perhaps this is why *The Son's Room* won the Palme d'Or in 2001. It ain't new, but it's Real.
Even better, the movie is not wholly a slog through depression. The mood is lightened by the scenes in the analyst's office, in which Moretti listens to a parade of neurotics nattering away about their largely non-existent problems: we get the sex-addict; the hypochondriac; the obsessive-compulsive, etc. Obviously one of the film's main functions is to expose the psychoanalysis racket. Even before Moretti's son dies, he never seems inspired by his work, never seems to actually help his patients, and barely contains his boredom. The movie goes out of its way to demonstrate that when issues of real consequence occur, psychiatry offers no anodynes. When one of his patients gets cancer, Moretti -- in a real, unguarded moment after his son has already died -- bitterly suggests that mental attitude has nothing to with the chances for survival. And, of course, Moretti himself finds no professionally applied salve for his pain . . . such amelioration can only come from time, and from his family. Psychiatry is obviously useless in these cases; it works much better when you don't have any real problems.
I want to finish by saluting the fine, naturalistic performances by Moretti, the lovely Laura Morante as his wife, Jasmine Trinca as the teenage daughter, and Giuseppe Sanfelice -- appropriately close-lipped and mysterious, with just the right amount of a 16-year-old's childish mischievousness -- as the son Andrea. I also appreciated the top-notch transitions that Moretti gets from his editor: the scenes tend to end abruptly, jarring us out of a prolonged involvement with the characters and situations, like rude interruptions. This is a fitting editorial style for a film that concerns itself with an ultimate rude "interruption".
9 stars out of 10.
a life turned inside out
LunarPoise17 August 2011
Giovanni (Nanni Moretti) is a capable psychiatrist revered by his patients, who copes with his work because he knows a loving wife, son and daughter are waiting for him at the end of the working day. The sudden death of their son in a diving accident threatens to destroy the remaining family, as each retreats to grieve in their own way. An unexpected visitor allows them to make the journey, quite literally, to the other side of remorse.
You can tell this is not a Hollywood film because for the first 30 minutes, nothing happens. Giovanni works, comes home, cooks, runs, makes love to his wife, engages with his children while giving them their space. It is all very naturalistic and convincing, but there is no drama. Suddenly, a small item is snatched in the market, a car horn is blown - small, incidental fragments that are portents of the end of everyone's life in this family as they know it. Tomorrow, they will all be someone else.
And so Andrea dies and the grief kicks in. But they get better. The film engages you by creating multi-dimensional, charming yet flawed characters who we believe in and so care for when their world gets turned upside down. What happens to them you already know; how it happens is what keeps you watching. I enjoyed it without feeling the need to offer up tears; I felt the death as a sadness rather than a tragedy. This will not be everyone's cup of tea as a film, but the small moments that constitute our lives are faithfully represented, and the continuous montage of patients in Giovanni's office provides humour and pathos. This was my first Moretti film. There is enough here to bring me back.
You can tell this is not a Hollywood film because for the first 30 minutes, nothing happens. Giovanni works, comes home, cooks, runs, makes love to his wife, engages with his children while giving them their space. It is all very naturalistic and convincing, but there is no drama. Suddenly, a small item is snatched in the market, a car horn is blown - small, incidental fragments that are portents of the end of everyone's life in this family as they know it. Tomorrow, they will all be someone else.
And so Andrea dies and the grief kicks in. But they get better. The film engages you by creating multi-dimensional, charming yet flawed characters who we believe in and so care for when their world gets turned upside down. What happens to them you already know; how it happens is what keeps you watching. I enjoyed it without feeling the need to offer up tears; I felt the death as a sadness rather than a tragedy. This will not be everyone's cup of tea as a film, but the small moments that constitute our lives are faithfully represented, and the continuous montage of patients in Giovanni's office provides humour and pathos. This was my first Moretti film. There is enough here to bring me back.
O the grief!
Jim-Eadon10 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This Italian movie is a study of grief that is told in an almost matter-of-fact way. This is fortunate, for the theme is so touching I felt that the mostly-detached tone was a wise strategy. Spoilers ahead. A contented nuclear family suffer a destructive blow and we watch, in horrified awe, as the emotional shrapnel wreaks hell. This linear movie, a Cannes winner, makes you ponder the unthinkable. The performances are convincing and the score interesting. The direction was good too. The claustrophobic shots of the analyst at the time of disaster; the painful scene with the coffin where the daughter requests one final glimpse; the scene where she breaks down in the clothes shop; the (Spoiler!) cathartic appearance of the innocent girlfriend, who, with the endearing lack of tact of the young, had brought along a replacement boyfriend! That last point is fascinating, it suggests to the family that even their lost son was replaceable and people move on. We are replaceable. Someone once said that when you quit a job, the hole you leave will be like that left by a hand being pulled from a bucket of water. Tis true of death too. Incidentally, The MPAA rated this movie R !! This over-powerful organisation obviously prefers teenagers to watch ubiquitous Hollywood violence, may the gods help is if kids are exposed to thoughtful, character-driven foreign movies. Whether it is driven by an ass-backwards "morality" or a cynical desire to make more money for Hollywood studios and itself, the MPAA's absurd behavior seems to me to be akin to a burning-of-books mentality, and makes America look immoral. Ponette, a French movie about grief, this time as experienced by a small child, was for me the most moving I've seen of the sad film genre (but I've seen very few). That movie deeply affected me, at a time when I was troubled.
Grief, by the numbers
bandw23 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is a well crafted film. The actors are good, especially the women. However, the script is less than inspired. In the first part of the movie we are introduced to Nanni Moretti, a happily married psychiatrist with two teen-aged children, a daughter and a son. Then the son dies in an accident. Given that scenario, in the normal course of events you would expect: despair, denial, guilt, what ifs, marital difficulties, the questioning of life goals, and so forth. And that is exactly what you get.
The ending did supply some ambiguity. Just when you though the family was on the road to acceptance and coming back together, they are seen walking on the beach with each one going in a different direction.
Nanni's dilemma with staying in his job is nicely set up by several scenes showing what he has to deal with as a psychiatrist. If what is presented is a typical cross section of patients, then it would seem inevitable that a major life crisis would precipitate the shakedown in Nanni's professional life. In fact Nanni was showing some signs of feeling ineffective in being able to help his patients before the tragedy. After having seen what it is like from the other side of the couch, I came away from this movie wondering how a psychiatrist can avoid early burnout.
With scenes like the family's last viewing of the body in a casket before it is sealed, it is hard to avoid getting wrapped up in the tragedy that befalls this family, but the emotional investment did not pay off for me in the end. Movies with a similar theme (the loss of a child) that I found more interesting and engaging are, "Ordinary People" and "In the Bedroom."
The ending did supply some ambiguity. Just when you though the family was on the road to acceptance and coming back together, they are seen walking on the beach with each one going in a different direction.
Nanni's dilemma with staying in his job is nicely set up by several scenes showing what he has to deal with as a psychiatrist. If what is presented is a typical cross section of patients, then it would seem inevitable that a major life crisis would precipitate the shakedown in Nanni's professional life. In fact Nanni was showing some signs of feeling ineffective in being able to help his patients before the tragedy. After having seen what it is like from the other side of the couch, I came away from this movie wondering how a psychiatrist can avoid early burnout.
With scenes like the family's last viewing of the body in a casket before it is sealed, it is hard to avoid getting wrapped up in the tragedy that befalls this family, but the emotional investment did not pay off for me in the end. Movies with a similar theme (the loss of a child) that I found more interesting and engaging are, "Ordinary People" and "In the Bedroom."
i can't imagine how this film won a prize...
ptylko8 February 2006
I will be straightforward with all. This movie, with all the build up and in view of the Palme d'or and hailing from Italy which does have its share of good movies, is a huge disappointment.
Three reasons why, and I will be very short. 1) The acting is stiff, awful and without any emotions or talent. The only one that I could rate above average would be, surprisingly, the daughter; she plays her part reasonably well. All the others are motionless, and emotionless, a way of acting which certainly does not belong in this movie.
2) the script. The movie doesn't go anywhere. It just kinda lingers along. Nothing really happens. Now I'm not talking about exploding cars or that type of action, i'm talking about development of characters, psychological changes, good screenplay. None of that.
3) I have never seen a movie so boring that treats a subject as emotional and difficult as the loss of a son in such an unemotional and uninteresting way.
Since I don't want to include any spoilers, I won't go into too much details. The film is not worth it anyway. This is by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen, especially in view of what I had expected.
Three reasons why, and I will be very short. 1) The acting is stiff, awful and without any emotions or talent. The only one that I could rate above average would be, surprisingly, the daughter; she plays her part reasonably well. All the others are motionless, and emotionless, a way of acting which certainly does not belong in this movie.
2) the script. The movie doesn't go anywhere. It just kinda lingers along. Nothing really happens. Now I'm not talking about exploding cars or that type of action, i'm talking about development of characters, psychological changes, good screenplay. None of that.
3) I have never seen a movie so boring that treats a subject as emotional and difficult as the loss of a son in such an unemotional and uninteresting way.
Since I don't want to include any spoilers, I won't go into too much details. The film is not worth it anyway. This is by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen, especially in view of what I had expected.
Intimate, deep, and... rated R
zio ugo30 October 2002
Moretti becomes more mature, more intimate, more personal. While playing an increasing role in Italian politics (with his movement of opposition to the right-wing government), in his films he has abandoned the sharp political criticism of his debut (Ecce Bombo, Io sono un Autarchico), and the cynical and funny social observations of "Bianca," "Palombella Rossa," and "Caro Diario" to give us a compelling portrait of grief.
A noticeable thing about this film is that the stupidity and ignorance of the MPAA gave it an R rating. Apparently, according to the MPAA, teenagers are welcome to see the stupid violence of "Independence Day," or the idiotic cardboard characters of "Spider Man" (both rated PG-13), but should not, except under adult supervision, know that the death of a teenage child is a shocking and traumatizing experience for a family, and could shatter their painfully constructed unity.
The decision of the MPAA provoked outrage in Italy and surprise in Europe. It is amazing that people of such obvious ignorance should be allowed to make such crucial decisions: they should be held responsible for the garbage they feed to teenagers, and for keeping them away from meaningful films.
A noticeable thing about this film is that the stupidity and ignorance of the MPAA gave it an R rating. Apparently, according to the MPAA, teenagers are welcome to see the stupid violence of "Independence Day," or the idiotic cardboard characters of "Spider Man" (both rated PG-13), but should not, except under adult supervision, know that the death of a teenage child is a shocking and traumatizing experience for a family, and could shatter their painfully constructed unity.
The decision of the MPAA provoked outrage in Italy and surprise in Europe. It is amazing that people of such obvious ignorance should be allowed to make such crucial decisions: they should be held responsible for the garbage they feed to teenagers, and for keeping them away from meaningful films.
More devastating than the sight of a full coffin is the sight of an empty room...
ElMaruecan8226 October 2020
Maybe it's at that point that you realize the extent of your loss or why the aftermath of the death is worse than the death itself...
"The Son's Room", directed and starring Nanni Moretti, is the kind of dramas that don't take risks and adopt rather sober approaches to their themes; emotions aren't overplayed, there's no real plot twist or explosive climax and at the end but we're left with the satisfaction of having shared slices of lives that could have been ours. This is not to diminish its emotional power -there are some heart-wrenching moments in the film- but just to say that, as simple as it is, the emotional mechanism works. It won the Golden Palm of 2001, and it reminded me of other winners directed by the Dardennes brothers, movies meant to show a certain sad reality and implicitly admitting that happiness, for what it's worth, is still cinematically dull.
The film is about a family stricken by the loss of one of their members, the father Giovanni (Moretti) is a psychiatrist, the wife Paola (Laura Morante) is a caring mother and the sister Irene (Jasmine Trinca) is a typical young teenager, sociable and sporty (she's part of the basketball team). Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice) isn't a rebellious teenager though his character-establishing moment is a school incident involving the stealing of a fossil. This episode that occupies a fair portion of the first act seems rather anecdoctal once we get to the tragedy, I guess it was a way to show that this family has its fair of shortcomings but they never went as far as life-threatening situations. Andrea was the kind of son that wouldn't cause any trouble to his parents, which makes his death not only sadder but crueler in its freakiness: a diving accident.
Interestingly, the accident involves the father's occupation, as a dedicated pro, he decides to visit one of his patients at home, thus delaying a jogging session with Andrea, which lead him to go dive with his friends. This connection brings a dimension of guilt in the handling of the death, Giovanni keeps wondering what if he decided to give priority to his son, would he or would he have not avoided the accident? The movie only alludes to that thinking, there's never a meltdown about it nor that Giovanni confronts the patient who indirectly started the chain of events, but it shows an important aspect of grief: there always comes a time when we ask ourselves when things started to go wrong. I had the same questioning following my divorce and I tended to look at events within a specific timeline: when I could change things and when the point of no return was reached already, that was mental torture as If things weren't bad enough.
But we do empathize with Nanni for things are perfectly fine during the first act, pinaccling with that moment where the four members are all singing together, so there is a tremendous feeling of waste. Giovanni (who reminded me of French actor François Cluzet) is a perfectly stable man, the epitome of decency, a good husband, a dutiful parent and yet all the foundations of his life are thrown away with that tragedy and there's nothing he can hang on, he's just too moral to consider insanity or suicide as options. But the choice of his profession is interesting because psychiatrists deal with people struggling with the present and the future while his own future is characterized by the termination of his son's life marked by these nails screwed onto the coffin. Not to mention how petty and trivial their whining can sound.
The merit of the film is to display these complexities without the pretensions to offer answers, when Giovanni decides to take a leave of absence, we understand his motives but we're not given solutions. All we see is that the equilibrium of the family is threatened and each member wanders in one isle of grief, dealing with sadness, anger (the sister is involved in a fight during the game) and disbelief. This is basically a film about the various stages of grief striking normal people... or ordinary people, a nod to Robert Redford's film, perhaps the closest in spirit to the "Son's Room". The film could have ended in a similar note, Andrea could have been the pillar without which the family collapsed, Laura could have left Giovanni or Irene turn into a hoodlum, but again, the narrative avoids these tricks and adopts a more serene approach.
Time goes by and an interesting little twist, involving a hidden love, takes the family to the right path, the one that simply says you that life goes on and that the family might have lost a dear one, but it is their grief and what separated them for a while that can connect them forever. Once again, this is not a statement made by the film, some would rather find the ending too anticlimactic or easy, even corny, but the film doesn't end on a happy note, only on a light of hope. Things could get worse but it's part of our nature to lean toward the positive instead of imagining the worse... as long as we're able to overcome that mental block and make the difficult but necessary choice to turn the page... or write a new chapter.
"The Son's Room" has a remarkable sobriety though it's not devoid of heart-breaking moments, the whole sequence involving the announcing of the death is a masterpiece of realism and might be too upsetting for people who lost someone It's all to Moretti's credit to alternate between moments of serenity and a few emotional peaks while avoiding the avalanche of pathos. For that moment only when the sister understands the news, I couldn't give a film a negative review no matter what would happen after.
"The Son's Room", directed and starring Nanni Moretti, is the kind of dramas that don't take risks and adopt rather sober approaches to their themes; emotions aren't overplayed, there's no real plot twist or explosive climax and at the end but we're left with the satisfaction of having shared slices of lives that could have been ours. This is not to diminish its emotional power -there are some heart-wrenching moments in the film- but just to say that, as simple as it is, the emotional mechanism works. It won the Golden Palm of 2001, and it reminded me of other winners directed by the Dardennes brothers, movies meant to show a certain sad reality and implicitly admitting that happiness, for what it's worth, is still cinematically dull.
The film is about a family stricken by the loss of one of their members, the father Giovanni (Moretti) is a psychiatrist, the wife Paola (Laura Morante) is a caring mother and the sister Irene (Jasmine Trinca) is a typical young teenager, sociable and sporty (she's part of the basketball team). Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice) isn't a rebellious teenager though his character-establishing moment is a school incident involving the stealing of a fossil. This episode that occupies a fair portion of the first act seems rather anecdoctal once we get to the tragedy, I guess it was a way to show that this family has its fair of shortcomings but they never went as far as life-threatening situations. Andrea was the kind of son that wouldn't cause any trouble to his parents, which makes his death not only sadder but crueler in its freakiness: a diving accident.
Interestingly, the accident involves the father's occupation, as a dedicated pro, he decides to visit one of his patients at home, thus delaying a jogging session with Andrea, which lead him to go dive with his friends. This connection brings a dimension of guilt in the handling of the death, Giovanni keeps wondering what if he decided to give priority to his son, would he or would he have not avoided the accident? The movie only alludes to that thinking, there's never a meltdown about it nor that Giovanni confronts the patient who indirectly started the chain of events, but it shows an important aspect of grief: there always comes a time when we ask ourselves when things started to go wrong. I had the same questioning following my divorce and I tended to look at events within a specific timeline: when I could change things and when the point of no return was reached already, that was mental torture as If things weren't bad enough.
But we do empathize with Nanni for things are perfectly fine during the first act, pinaccling with that moment where the four members are all singing together, so there is a tremendous feeling of waste. Giovanni (who reminded me of French actor François Cluzet) is a perfectly stable man, the epitome of decency, a good husband, a dutiful parent and yet all the foundations of his life are thrown away with that tragedy and there's nothing he can hang on, he's just too moral to consider insanity or suicide as options. But the choice of his profession is interesting because psychiatrists deal with people struggling with the present and the future while his own future is characterized by the termination of his son's life marked by these nails screwed onto the coffin. Not to mention how petty and trivial their whining can sound.
The merit of the film is to display these complexities without the pretensions to offer answers, when Giovanni decides to take a leave of absence, we understand his motives but we're not given solutions. All we see is that the equilibrium of the family is threatened and each member wanders in one isle of grief, dealing with sadness, anger (the sister is involved in a fight during the game) and disbelief. This is basically a film about the various stages of grief striking normal people... or ordinary people, a nod to Robert Redford's film, perhaps the closest in spirit to the "Son's Room". The film could have ended in a similar note, Andrea could have been the pillar without which the family collapsed, Laura could have left Giovanni or Irene turn into a hoodlum, but again, the narrative avoids these tricks and adopts a more serene approach.
Time goes by and an interesting little twist, involving a hidden love, takes the family to the right path, the one that simply says you that life goes on and that the family might have lost a dear one, but it is their grief and what separated them for a while that can connect them forever. Once again, this is not a statement made by the film, some would rather find the ending too anticlimactic or easy, even corny, but the film doesn't end on a happy note, only on a light of hope. Things could get worse but it's part of our nature to lean toward the positive instead of imagining the worse... as long as we're able to overcome that mental block and make the difficult but necessary choice to turn the page... or write a new chapter.
"The Son's Room" has a remarkable sobriety though it's not devoid of heart-breaking moments, the whole sequence involving the announcing of the death is a masterpiece of realism and might be too upsetting for people who lost someone It's all to Moretti's credit to alternate between moments of serenity and a few emotional peaks while avoiding the avalanche of pathos. For that moment only when the sister understands the news, I couldn't give a film a negative review no matter what would happen after.
A (near) masterpiece!
Chinese Bookie22 March 2001
What can I say except that I need to see it again? I try to write down what I think but somehow I prefer scribbling some jargon on a note pad... there are also a lot of hidden details to previous films that you have to watch out for with your eyes wide shut. The images haunt you and leave you mourning. Ecstasy for having encountered cinema at it's most powerful. How to portray pain in film? the symptoms of anguish? the rituals involved... The most striking scene for me is at the fairground. It hits you like a freight train and leaves you mesmerized for the second half of the film. The son's room is at the bottom of the sea, on the surface of an instant photo, a secret path though many a different door... Press replay on what is not past nor future but pure emotion of imagining what will never be, love streams, the loneliness of long distant runner... Tragedy and crisis (individual and social and it's many other meanings!) have always been present in Nanni's cinema but here he's reached an unprecedented maturity. One minor flaw is the stereotypical portrayal of the patients treated by Moretti playing a psychoanalyst. It's a little too predictable for such an original filmmaker although I'm well aware that the patients are all movie projectors projecting the artist's own constant obsessions. I do hope English speaking viewers will have a chance to see it.
Needed More Risks
ASuiGeneris21 April 2018
The Son's Room (Italian: La stanza del figlio) (2001)
Director: Nanni Moretti
Watched: 4/2018
5/10
Simple without flair, Bad therapist portrayal, Honest but timid with risks, Still good classroom viewing for Five stages of grief tour.
Tanka, literally "short poem", is a form of poetry consisting of five lines, unrhymed, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format. #Tanka #PoemReview
Simple without flair, Bad therapist portrayal, Honest but timid with risks, Still good classroom viewing for Five stages of grief tour.
Tanka, literally "short poem", is a form of poetry consisting of five lines, unrhymed, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format. #Tanka #PoemReview
Heartfelt and moving tragedy
faraaj-123 November 2006
Sometimes watching a lot of famous, award-winning or cult films can be desensitizing and you start to wonder why you fell in love with cinema in the first place. Then along comes a film like The Son's Room! This is a film I didn't even want to see. I didn't like Ordinary People and I thought this would be a rip-off and a boring film. Instead, it blew me away completely. The Son's Room is one of the most heartfelt and moving films to come out in the past decade. It is an emotional roller-coaster and as a viewer I was part of the ride all the way.
Much of the credit has to go to writer-director-producer-star Nanni Moretti. The story he has crafted is admittedly not unique. But the treatment is beautiful. Like the family, I as a viewer lived the entire experience of the loss - the denial, the break-down, the pain and the coming to terms with a terrible family tragedy. The tragedy itself comes as a big shock. All this despite the fact that its not an event or plot based film. Its a gently paced story of normal people leading normal lives. There is nothing brilliant about the lives of the central characters or their interests. Even the patients of psychiatrist Giovanni are very ordinary and their problems and lives are actually quite mundane because they are lazy and selfish.
Moretti's direction is superb. I loved the camera movements. When you see this, notice the long steadicam take near the beginning of the movie when Giovanni comes home. There is a similar shot close to the end. But so much has changed. Music plays a central role in the movie. There is the music score which is lovely. After the tragedy, the tempo slows down and it moves from wind instruments to the piano and really has a major psychological impact. One of the best scores in modern times. There is a 1970's song "By This River" towards the end and if you watch the movie, you'll understand how appropriate it is. Moretti's brilliance in writing and directing this lovely film would have been more than enough. But he is also the central figure in the movie and gives a wonderful, restrained performance. I'm talking Anthony Hopkins Remains of the Day caliber. In fact, all the performances were very natural and realistic. No star turns - just total emphasis on the story. This is a rare and very special achievement.
Much of the credit has to go to writer-director-producer-star Nanni Moretti. The story he has crafted is admittedly not unique. But the treatment is beautiful. Like the family, I as a viewer lived the entire experience of the loss - the denial, the break-down, the pain and the coming to terms with a terrible family tragedy. The tragedy itself comes as a big shock. All this despite the fact that its not an event or plot based film. Its a gently paced story of normal people leading normal lives. There is nothing brilliant about the lives of the central characters or their interests. Even the patients of psychiatrist Giovanni are very ordinary and their problems and lives are actually quite mundane because they are lazy and selfish.
Moretti's direction is superb. I loved the camera movements. When you see this, notice the long steadicam take near the beginning of the movie when Giovanni comes home. There is a similar shot close to the end. But so much has changed. Music plays a central role in the movie. There is the music score which is lovely. After the tragedy, the tempo slows down and it moves from wind instruments to the piano and really has a major psychological impact. One of the best scores in modern times. There is a 1970's song "By This River" towards the end and if you watch the movie, you'll understand how appropriate it is. Moretti's brilliance in writing and directing this lovely film would have been more than enough. But he is also the central figure in the movie and gives a wonderful, restrained performance. I'm talking Anthony Hopkins Remains of the Day caliber. In fact, all the performances were very natural and realistic. No star turns - just total emphasis on the story. This is a rare and very special achievement.
Mediocre
zetes4 April 2012
Nanni Moretti directs and stars in this small-scale Italian drama, which won the Palm d'or at Cannes that year. It seems like a pretty poor choice, in my opinion. It's not a bad movie, really, but it's pretty unambitious. It strikes me as a lot like your average American indie drama. Moretti stars as a psychologist who has a great relationship with his loving family (wife Laura Morante, daughter Jasmine Trinca and son Giuseppe Sanfelice). The first half hour of the film is comprised of telling us how content they are - thirty to thirty-five minutes of this boring family sitting around loving each other. Unnecessary. One scene would have sufficed. Then the big tragedy happens: the son drowns in a scuba diving accident. The rest of the film is just about the other three dealing with it. It's all fine, I suppose, but, really, there's not much insight into the situation - certainly nothing we haven't seen before. The only plot point that occurs during the final hour of the film has to do with a secret girlfriend whom Sanfelice has left behind (Sofia Vigliar), who eventually shows up at their door. One of the bigger problems the film has is Moretti's performance - he's really weak. Morante and Trinca are pretty good, however.
life mixed with tender agony and mild happiness
etudiantemo7 January 2009
Grievous, but thoughtful and tender. Permeated by agonizing sense of loss, this film tells a father's love for child, profound and penetrating into his life. Agony is inevitable, fatal and deadly even to a psychiatrist. Sometimes I "enjoyed" in sad films as indulging oneself in grief helps one to temporarily "forsake" the affliction of one's own. The musical is genial, By this River perfectly matches the stoic resolve and looming sorrow of the alive and incur audience's tears for genuine feeling. I like this kind of tender narration, telling of a sorrowful story in gentle manner. In the end, the parents drive to the border of France and Italy, and the scene ended in the blue sea, familiar sand and continuous hills around give rise to tranquility and peace, which, to some extent, soothe the pain and anguish. It looks like seeing the great blue sea is a kind of happiness. In a word, it's a good ending.
Good, but nowhere near as good as In the Bedroom
utzutzutz28 April 2002
This is certainly a well-made film, but it lacks the interest, focus, acting (and surprise ending) of In the Bedroom. The characters are vaguely appealing, but very little in the way of character development happens after the family loses their son. I found myself checking my watch frequently because the pace is so slow (and I generally LIKE slow paces). It didn't seem like there was much point to the whole drama, except to show the details and grief around losing a loved one. That's fine, but I wanted more, some sort of transcendence. I almost felt like the film had been written during a grieving process, not after the whole thing had been digested. I would certainly NOT recommend it to anyone currently in grief, however. It would be torturous to watch.
Death will out...
poe42623 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"There's always a price to pay," one of the characters says in THE SON'S ROOM. The price for loving is grieving. The lyrics of one of the songs in the movie says it nicely: "To live, you have to die a little." Profound observation (and ominous foreshadowing). The pivotal scene packs a wordless wallop. The perplexing thing about tragedy- Death, specifically- is that it's so arbitrary; the best man doesn't always win in real life. In the final analysis, it doesn't even matter who "wins" and who "loses"; we all lose in the end. Death will out. Our best hope is to be able, like the characters in this movie, to let it out. Otherwise, it's a slow dissolution. "Finally, I can cry," one character says: "I could cry all my life." From what I've come to understand, that's what we're supposed to do if we're so inclined.
Individual coping with collective loss
Diand24 June 2001
The film starts out with the portrayal of an ordinary caring family, where every member pursues his own interests and goals. The father, a psychiatrist (the director Nanni Moretti), is a reserved man, who manages to keep the family member's close. This part of the movie is a built-up to the second part, which deals with the death of the son and how the remaining family members cope with this tragedy in their own way. Although the death of the son is dividing the family at first, the coping with this loss is the binding factor and helps the family, mainly through the father, come closer again.
The period after the son's death is by far the most emotional part of this movie. The father wandering on a fairground with people of his son's age, the normally quiet daughter becoming aggressive in a sports match, the mother searching a way to come closer at the wrong time are memorable images. This is a movie (like Cast Away) where not much happens, but it keeps to be interesting. The main reason for this are the acting performances, especially by the father and the mother (Laura Morante).
However, on several levels this movie is not perfect. First, the story line is very thin (after all, it can be summed up in four lines). But there's more bad news: The technical aspects like art direction, camerawork and editing are poorly executed and none of these aspects are used in favor of the story. On this level there are several lost opportunities. Then there's the pacing of the movie, which is unnecesseraly slow because the compelling story is not supported enough by compelling images (this isn't a Tarkovsky movie). Then there's the portrayal of the psychiatric patients, halfway between serious and funny, and in a way this portrayal comes over helplessly unlikely.
A movie that wins a festival like Cannes has to have something extraordinary. This movie has not. It is either a compromise choice by a jury in disarray (probably shocked after the Berlin vote for Intimacy) or Cannes 2001 was indeed a very bad year.
The period after the son's death is by far the most emotional part of this movie. The father wandering on a fairground with people of his son's age, the normally quiet daughter becoming aggressive in a sports match, the mother searching a way to come closer at the wrong time are memorable images. This is a movie (like Cast Away) where not much happens, but it keeps to be interesting. The main reason for this are the acting performances, especially by the father and the mother (Laura Morante).
However, on several levels this movie is not perfect. First, the story line is very thin (after all, it can be summed up in four lines). But there's more bad news: The technical aspects like art direction, camerawork and editing are poorly executed and none of these aspects are used in favor of the story. On this level there are several lost opportunities. Then there's the pacing of the movie, which is unnecesseraly slow because the compelling story is not supported enough by compelling images (this isn't a Tarkovsky movie). Then there's the portrayal of the psychiatric patients, halfway between serious and funny, and in a way this portrayal comes over helplessly unlikely.
A movie that wins a festival like Cannes has to have something extraordinary. This movie has not. It is either a compromise choice by a jury in disarray (probably shocked after the Berlin vote for Intimacy) or Cannes 2001 was indeed a very bad year.
Pretty bad
jamila-1426 April 2008
This is the first time I am posting on IMDb. Yep, that's how bad the movie was and seeing so many wonderful reviews on it made me compelled to write. The acting was really bad, stiff. Can you imagine paying this shrink for your sessions? I didn't believe any of these characters, except maybe some of the patients. Overall just a pretentious attempt. I want 99 minutes of my life back, so that I can play free cell or just anything even slightly more engaging than this movie. It absolutely cannot be compared with In the Bedroom, that's just in a different league. I love European movies, when the characters are REAL. Here the acting was stunningly flat and non-engaging.
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