The Son's Room (2001)
"La stanza del figlio" (original title)

A psychoanalyst and his family go through profound emotional trauma when their son dies in a scuba diving accident.

Director:

Nanni Moretti

Writers:

Nanni Moretti (story), Nanni Moretti (screenplay),

Stars:

Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine Trinca

11 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nanni Moretti	...	Giovanni Sermonti
Laura Morante	...	Paola Sermonti
Jasmine Trinca	...	Irene Sermonti
Giuseppe Sanfelice	...	Andrea Sermonti
Sofia Vigliar	...	Arianna
Renato Scarpa	...	Headmaster
Roberto Nobile	...	Priest
Paolo De Vita	...	Luciano's Father
Roberto De Francesco	...	Record Store Clerk
Claudio Santamaria	...	Dive Shop Clerk
Antonio Petrocelli	...	Enrico
Lorenzo Alessandri	...	Filippo's Father
Alessandro Infusini	...	Matteo
Silvia Bonucci	...	Carla
Marcello Bernacchini	...	Luciano

Storyline

Giovanni is a successful psychoanalyst who has to put up with the seemingly endless string of trivial details his patients ramble on about. Yet his family provides a loving and steadfast foundation for his life that can even survive a problem like their son, Andrea, being accused of stealing a rare fossil in school. That foundation is profoundly rocked when Andrea dies in a scuba diving accident. Although the usual arrangements run smoothly, the emotional harm is profound. Giovanni begins to obsessively dwell on the missed chances he had with his son that might have saved his life, even blaming his patients. In addition , his wife is inconsulable and his daughter is becoming anti social in their loss. In the midst of this turmoil, a secret of their son's life is revealed that provides healing in a way they never anticipated.

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Plot Keywords:

psychoanalyst | scuba diving | diving | patient | fossil | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian Latin

Release Date:

9 March 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Son's Room

Filming Locations:

Ancona, Marche, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,887 (USA) (25 January 2002)

Gross:

$1,014,416 (USA) (14 June 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rai Cinemafiction, Telepiù, Sacher Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Margherita Buy auditioned for the role of Paola, she acted all of her scenes. Nanni Moretti eventually chose Laura Morante for the part.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

"By This River"
Written by Brian Eno, Hans-Joachim Roedelius & Dieter Moebius
Performed by Brian Eno

User Reviews

An Italian Kieslowski

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.