The Son's Room (2001)

not as good as all the hype

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is a well crafted film. The actors are good, especially the women. However, the script is less than inspired. In the first part of the movie we are introduced to Nanni Moretti, a happily married psychiatrist with two teen-aged children, a daughter and a son. Then the son dies in an accident. Given that scenario, in the normal course of events you would expect: despair, denial, guilt, what ifs, marital difficulties, the questioning of life goals, and so forth. And that is exactly what you get. The ending did supply some ambiguity. Just when you though the family was on the road to acceptance and coming back together, they are seen walking on the beach with each one going in a different direction. Nanni's dilemma with staying in his job is nicely set up by several scenes showing what he has to deal with as a psychiatrist. If what is presented is a typical cross section of patients, then it would seem inevitable that a major life crisis would precipitate the shakedown in Nanni's professional life. In fact Nanni was showing some signs of feeling ineffective in being able to help his patients before the tragedy. After having seen what it is like from the other side of the couch, I came away from this movie wondering how a psychiatrist can avoid early burnout.With scenes like the family's last viewing of the body in a casket before it is sealed, it is hard to avoid getting wrapped up in the tragedy that befalls this family, but the emotional investment did not pay off for me in the end. Movies with a similar theme (the loss of a child) that I found more interesting and engaging are, "Ordinary People" and "In the Bedroom."

....is the worst thing that can happen to you.That's what Nanni Moretti tells in a story full of restrained emotion and a great sense of propriety.The perfect family : a shrink,his attractive wife who's got a good job,two children with good prospects.Some cracks in the mirror ,hardly noticeable: the psychiatrist does not seem to care that much for his patients,his problems and theirs are worlds apart (best example: the patient who just learned he'd developed lung cancer);he is proud of his son but we feel that he asks too much from him: in a sport game you MUST win.When the tragedy occurs ,the father realizes that all that has not been said or done will never be.Maybe he shouldn't have treated his son that way .Maybe he should have kept him with him when he was jogging.There's a scene which many people will find unbearable :the moment when they place the boy in the coffin;nothing is spared the viewer and the sound of the nails finds only an equivalent in a similar scene in Maurice Pialat's "La Gueule Ouverte" (1972).The relationship with the patients dramatically changes too.Now what was finally a spoiled big child knows what it is to be in pain.If they are keen on meeting the boy's first love ,it is that both the father and the mother want to cling to something in the present which can make their son come back for a short while.It's revealing that the three members' first moment of "happiness" happens in the car ,where the girl and her supposed boyfriend make up for the awful loss .This is a deeply moving movie ,but for people with a strong heart.

This is the first time I am posting on IMDb. Yep, that's how bad the movie was and seeing so many wonderful reviews on it made me compelled to write. The acting was really bad, stiff. Can you imagine paying this shrink for your sessions? I didn't believe any of these characters, except maybe some of the patients. Overall just a pretentious attempt. I want 99 minutes of my life back, so that I can play free cell or just anything even slightly more engaging than this movie. It absolutely cannot be compared with In the Bedroom, that's just in a different league. I love European movies, when the characters are REAL. Here the acting was stunningly flat and non-engaging.

Sometimes watching a lot of famous, award-winning or cult films can be desensitizing and you start to wonder why you fell in love with cinema in the first place. Then along comes a film like The Son's Room! This is a film I didn't even want to see. I didn't like Ordinary People and I thought this would be a rip-off and a boring film. Instead, it blew me away completely. The Son's Room is one of the most heartfelt and moving films to come out in the past decade. It is an emotional roller-coaster and as a viewer I was part of the ride all the way.Much of the credit has to go to writer-director-producer-star Nanni Moretti. The story he has crafted is admittedly not unique. But the treatment is beautiful. Like the family, I as a viewer lived the entire experience of the loss - the denial, the break-down, the pain and the coming to terms with a terrible family tragedy. The tragedy itself comes as a big shock. All this despite the fact that its not an event or plot based film. Its a gently paced story of normal people leading normal lives. There is nothing brilliant about the lives of the central characters or their interests. Even the patients of psychiatrist Giovanni are very ordinary and their problems and lives are actually quite mundane because they are lazy and selfish.Moretti's direction is superb. I loved the camera movements. When you see this, notice the long steadicam take near the beginning of the movie when Giovanni comes home. There is a similar shot close to the end. But so much has changed. Music plays a central role in the movie. There is the music score which is lovely. After the tragedy, the tempo slows down and it moves from wind instruments to the piano and really has a major psychological impact. One of the best scores in modern times. There is a 1970's song "By This River" towards the end and if you watch the movie, you'll understand how appropriate it is. Moretti's brilliance in writing and directing this lovely film would have been more than enough. But he is also the central figure in the movie and gives a wonderful, restrained performance. I'm talking Anthony Hopkins Remains of the Day caliber. In fact, all the performances were very natural and realistic. No star turns - just total emphasis on the story. This is a rare and very special achievement.