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 & 26 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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,014,416, 16 June 2002

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

As of 2015, this is the last film directed by Nanni Moretti where he also plays the main character. All his subsequent appearances in his own films are either supporting roles or extended cameos.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

By This River
Written by Brian Eno (as B.Eno), Hans-Joachim Roedelius (as Roedelius) & Dieter Moebius (as Moebius)
Performed by Brian Eno
Ed. Musicali BMG Ricordi
Virgin

User Reviews

European films

I read almost all the reviews, before watching the film. I was impressed by the contradictive opinions. Some 1500 users (approx. 10%) rated it from 5 to 1. Personally, I was fascinated by the film. On the other hand I will never blame anyone who disliked it. I just try to understand why someone rejects what I like and that's why I read the "negative" reviews twice, trying (like Giovanni) to analyze reviewers' characters. Certainly this is not a film for Hollywood/Marvel fans. European cinema deals mostly with real people in real life incidents and stories. Therefore they apply to completely different audiences than the above mentioned fans. So, for European mentalities the film is very good, believe me!