I found out about this Italian film because it used to be listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it sounded like something really worthwhile, so I was looking forward to watching it, directed by Nanni Moretti (Dear Diary). Basically, in Ancona, Giovanni Sermonti (Nanni Moretti) is a psychoanalyst with a seemingly endless string of trivial problems his patients ramble on about. His 17-year-old son Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice) is accused of stealing a rare ammonite fossil from his school and suspended, he protested his innocence, but he secretly tells his mother Paola (Laura Morante) he and his friend stole it as a prank and intended to return it. Giovanni and Andrea had planned to go jogging together, but Giovanni is called by a patient who is severely distressed about a possible cancer diagnosis. Instead, Andrea goes scuba diving with a friend and swims into an underwater cave, where he accidentally drowns. Giovanni, Paola and their daughter Irene (Jasmine Trinca) are left to mourn. Giovanni investigates and becomes suspicious that Andrea's diving equipment was defective, but Paola reminds him the verdict was that it was functioning properly. Following the tragedy, Giovanni finds it difficult to analyse the struggles of his patients, particularly the one he went to see on the day Andrea died, he shows signs of impatience and hostility towards them. One day, Paola receives a love letter sent to Andrea by a girl named Arianna (Sofia Vigliar), who the family have never met, they never knew Andrea had a girlfriend. They realise she does not know Andrea has died and get in contact with her, inviting her to their home. Arianna shows up to see Giovanni while travelling to another destination. She shows him photographs Andrea sent her of himself in his room, some of which are very amusing. The family welcomes Arianna and offers to host her in their home, but she informs them she is hitchhiking with her friend Stefano (Alessandro Ascoli) to spend vacation in France. The family offers Arianna and Stefano a ride, but the journey lingers, and they reach Menton, in the border between Italy and France. Bidding Arianna and Stefano goodbye, the family watch their bus leave Italy and wander in the beach as a new life awaits them. Also starring Silvio Orlando as Oscar, Claudia Della Seta as Raffaella, Stefano Accorsi as Tommaso, Renato Scarpa as Headmaster and Roberto Nobile as Priest. This is a very affective story of an accidental death that leads to severe grief and guilt, and then of course someone close has to be told and they are forced to confront their feelings, with terrific performances and realistic themes of inconsolable bereavement and anguish, a most interesting drama. Good!
Review of The Son's Room
