The Son's Room introduces us to something very rare: a happy, well-adjusted family without a hint of dysfunction. Giovanni (Nanni Moretti; write and director)) is a psychiatrist who practices out of this home. He has a loving relationship with his wife, Paola (Laura Morante), and is liked and respected by his two teenage children: son Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice) and daughter Irene (Jasmine Trinca). For about 30 minutes, Moretti carefully develops a picture of familial bliss, keeping us uncertain where the film is going until the tragedy occurs. Once that happens, the movie moves along a more somber trajectory. Andrea dies in a diving accident, and his grieving family is left trying to pick up the pieces.
When an older person dies, the emotions are predictable: sadness and perhaps regret. But, when someone young and vital suddenly and unexpectedly perishes, those emotions are blended with other, move volcanic ones: guilt and anger. Those who are close to the victim often feel that an action (or lack of action) on their part might have prevented the death. Such is the case with Giovanni, who believes that if he had not seen a patient on Sunday morning when Andrea died, things might have turned out differently. From a neutral perspective, it's easy to see that such self-recrimination is ludicrous, but the film does an excellent job of getting us to understand Giovanni's mindset.
One of the most poignant experiences associated with the death of a loved one is confronting their empty "personal space" - a bedroom, a study or a bathroom. Everything is as they left it. The Son's Room makes effective use of a parent's venture into the dead child's inner sanctum. At no time are the emotions stronger than when confronting the relics of someone who has just died. The film captures the heart-wrenching surge of emptiness that this experience begets.
For the most part, The Son's Room stands as a powerful portrait of what real (as opposed to Hollywood) families go through in the wake of a loss. There's nothing out-of-the-ordinary about Giovanni, Paola, or Irene. The difficulties they have coping with Andrea's death are easy to empathize with. The storyline introduces one minor surprise after Andrea's death when a letter in the mail reveals that Andrea had a long-distance girlfriend his parents didn't know about. This, of course, reminds us that the dead have no secrets.
This is a superior motion picture. It is pleasant surprise that results when a skilled director/screen-writer can accomplish when he dares to be honest and unsparing. The Son's Room is meaningful.
Porculus