THE SON'S ROOM
Directed by: Nanni Moretti.
Produced by: Angelo Barbagallo & Nanni Moretti.
Written by: Linda Ferri, Moretti, & Heidrun Schleef.
Director of Photography: Giuseppe Lanci.
Edited by: Esmeralda Calabria.
Music by: Nicola Piovani.
Released by: Miramax.
Country of Origin: Italy/France. 99 min. Rated: R.
With: Moretti & Laura Morante.
DVD Features: French language track. English subtitles. Widescreen. Trailer.

Like the American film In the Bedroom, this melancholy Italian drama features a well-to-do family trying to cope with the shocking death of their beloved son. The film begins by chronicling the family's relationships, from everyday rituals like jogging, tennis matches, homework, and dinners, with what seems like a hidden camera. The father, Giovanni (Moretti), a driven and successful psychoanalyst still in love with his wife Paola (Morante), has high standards for his withdrawn son Andreas. One weekend, while Giovanni decides to visit a hypochondriac patient, Andreas is killed in a scuba diving accident. The universality of his parents' reaction to the death--the struggle to remain in control, feelings of shock, guilt and regret--has a high emotional impact. Although often the actors’ expressions are inscrutable, dams do break. And because of the film’s dry, almost detached, tone, it is surprising how emotional it becomes. The music, featuring Brian Eno’s "By This River" and a haunting score by Nicola Piovani, becomes another character, sentimental perhaps but not cloying. A reassuring film even without a resolved ending. KT
May 1, 2003