The Son's Room

R

Released Jan 25, 2002

1 hr. 27 min.

Drama

List

85%

85 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A family living together in a small Northern Italian city. The parents are Giovanni and Paola and their two teenage children are Irene, the daughter, and Andrea, the younger son. A tale of a happy, middle class family which is turned upside down when the teenage son dies in a tragic accident.

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Critics Consensus

The Son's Room is a moving and contemplative study of grief.

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S R

1001 movies to see before you die. It kept my interest with the different character complexities and developments, but still I don't need to see it again. RUS.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

Dave S

Rarely has a movie captured the depths of despair and sorrow as effectively as The Son's Room. Directed by and starring Nanni Moretti, it is the story of a tightly knit family whose emotions spiral out of control when the teenage son is tragically killed in a diving accident. Moretti plays the father, a counsellor who dedicates his life to relieving the psychological pain of his patients, yet is unable to assuage the suffering of his family. The acting is top notch, the direction is solid as Moretti allows the camera to linger on faces to impart emotion, the cinematography (love some of those steadicam shots) is excellent, and the script is insightful. While the music score tends to be cloying at times, it's a minor complaint about an otherwise excellent film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/19/23

Full Review

Nawt W

A masterclass in the depiction of a family's emotional devastation. The story is very well thought out, starting slow, establishing a mundane life that eventually collapses with them not being able to do anything. Except, of course, they could do one thing. And it's to torture themselves. They go over little things they think they didn't appreciate about the son, things they could have done to prevent him from going diving, looking for some kind of fault in the equipment. Essentially, not wanting and being able to move on. It's all raw and realistic, and it looks great. The soft lighting makes every room so pleasing to look at. Of course, I'd argue the movie falls off a bit at the end, as the son's never-to-be girlfriend doesn't really cut it as the cornerstone of them letting their son go by almost driving her to France. But the great part is also the ending, where with even a hint of closure, the family is still left alone on a beach with no actual affirmation that they could ever live this down. They probably won't be able to. Life just goes on.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/10/22

Full Review

jordan m

There was a perfect amount of exposition before the big plot twist, just enough to humanize the characters without making me wonder if they were going anywhere with it. The Brazilian Halle Berry did a good job, but therein lies the problem: a movie like this winning the prestigious Palme d'Or, for me, causes its actual merits to be overshadowed by questions of whether this was the right choice for that award. Halle did an extremely similar character in an arguably better movie & In the Bedroom was a better portrayal of parental grief, both from the same year. It felt very much like this one won purely out of a biased preference for non-English movies by the Cannes jury. That's not to say it wasn't good, sure it was, I just don't think it approached greatness.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

William L

But what if ... the THERAPIST needed psychological support? Cut, print, we've got our Palme d'Or winner. The Son's Room is well-executed but straightforward, the intention being to demonstrate a sense of grief at a sudden, devastating loss without diving too deeply into exaggerated performances or bluster. And it does that perfectly well, but not much more; it's a family quietly going about their lives with intermittent outbursts as they attempt to come to terms with the tragic loss of a son and brother. Something of a predictable design once the plot gets going - establishment of the family dynamic, the off-screen death, and then the gradual climb to acceptance - not normalcy, but a state where those involved have regained the will to go on. It doesn't push boundaries or feel exceptionally creative, but is just fine as a muted arthouse drama from the early 2000s. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/26/21

Full Review

Audience Member

With a refined and simple style, this film manages to tell the loss of a son without falling into melodrama. The Italian director Nanni Moretti portrays the desolation of the family sensitively and movingly. Certainly one of Moretti's best films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Nanni Moretti

Director

Nanni Moretti

Giovanni

Laura Morante

Paola

Jasmine Trinca

Irene

Giuseppe Sanfelice

Andrea

Silvio Orlando

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Meredith Brody

Chicago Reader

With tender skill, Moretti illuminates Samuel Beckett's familiar summation "I can't go on-I'll go on."

Oct 5, 2019

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Like a good shrink, Moretti watches with an unflinching but compassionate eye.

Mar 7, 2018

Full Review

Chicago Reader

With tender skill, [director] Moretti illuminates Samuel Beckett's familiar summation 'I can't go on--I'll go on.'

Feb 9, 2007

Full Review

B. Ruby Rich

The Nation

Nanni Moretti has made a career's worth of film grounded in humor, but here he has turned serious.

Feb 28, 2020

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Moretti's comedies and sarires are more interesting than this family melodrama about loss and grief, though he should be commended for making a touching and sensitive film that never descends into cloying bathos.

Rated: B

Mar 9, 2012

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

A family living together in a small Northern Italian city. The parents are Giovanni and Paola and their two teenage children are Irene, the daughter, and Andrea, the younger son. A tale of a happy, middle class family which is turned upside down when the teenage son dies in a tragic accident.

Director: Nanni Moretti
Screenwriter: Nanni Moretti, Linda Ferri, Heidrun Schleef
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: RAI Cinema
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 19, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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