A calmly-told tale of bereavement with barely a whisper of melodrama, director (and lead actor) Nanni Moretti unwraps his raw, deeply relatable exploration gently and with heartfelt emotion.
The nuclear Sermonti family are content – a good home in the coastal city of Ancona, he a psychoanalyst, Paola (Laura Morante) an art gallery manager. Their two immensely likeable teenage kids are above average at school. The sudden death of Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice) in a scuba diving accident sends their world into turmoil and threatens its very basis.
The Son’s Room is nuanced and moving, exquisite and gentle with quiet performances complementing the story – and winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2001.
Rating: 78%
Director: Nanni Moretti (We Have a Pope, Mia madre)
Writer: Linda Ferri (Anche libero va bene, Light of My Eyes), Nanni Moretti (We Have a Pope, Mia madre), Heidrun Schleef (Like the Wind, Remember Me My Love)
Main cast: Nanni Moretti (We Have a Pope, Mia madre), Laura Morante (Cherry on the Cake, God Willing), Giuseppe Sanfelice (But Forever in My Mind, Che ne sarà di noi)
An Opinion or Two 