The Son's Room (2001)

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), Linda Ferri (screenplay)

Stars:

Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine Trinca

16 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nanni Moretti	...	Giovanni Sermonti
Laura Morante	...	Paola Sermonti
Jasmine Trinca	...	Irene Sermonti
Giuseppe Sanfelice	...	Andrea Sermonti
Stefano Abbati	...	Patient
Stefano Accorsi	...	Tommaso - a Patient
Toni Bertorelli	...	Patient
Dario Cantarelli	...	Patient
Eleonora Danco	...	Patient
Claudia Della Seta	...	Raffaella - a Patient
Luisa De Santis	...	Patient
Silvio Orlando	...	Oscar - a Patient
Sofia Vigliar	...	Arianna
Renato Scarpa	...	Headmaster
Roberto Nobile	...	Priest

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 inconsolable 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:

scuba diving | psychoanalyst | running | loss of son | psychoanalysis | 

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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:

La habitación del hijo

Filming Locations:

Ancona, Marche, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,887, 27 January 2002

Gross USA:

$1,014,416

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sacher Film, Bac Films, StudioCanal

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

Insieme a te non ci sto più
Written by Paolo Conte (as P. Conte) & Vito Pallavicini (as V. Pallavicini)
Performed by Caterina Caselli
Ed. Musicali Sugar Music
Warner Fonit

User Reviews

Ranks high w/"Ordinary People" and "In the Bedroom" on grief

THE SON'S ROOM (2002) ***1/2 (ITALIAN W/SUBTITLES) Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Giuseppe Sanfelice, Jasmine Trinca, Sofia Vigliar. Excellently realized depiction of a loving Italian family who find themselves questioning a bleak future when a tragedy strikes shaking them out of their idealized trappings and seeking resolution to unanswered questions. Moretti, one of Italy's finest comedians, does a superb low-key job here in acting, directing and co-writing (with Linda Ferri and Heldrun Schleef) while maintaining an even-keeled balance of emotions, high and low, throughout thanks also to his talented cast. Haunting, humane and ultimately heart-rending yet never condescending and a final note: one of the most naturally performed interpretation of a nuclear family that truly loves one another equally; a damn rare thing to marvel.