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Pudique, sensible, émouvant… Les qualificatifs manquent pour exprimer les différentes facettes du film de Nanni Moretti. D'un sujet éminemment douloureux – la perte d'un enfant –, le réalisateur de Journal intime et Aprile a tiré une œuvre bouleversante mais ne sombrant à aucun moment dans le pathos. Après une première demi- heure d'exposition – une famille unie, dont le bonheur est symbolisé par cette scène où tous reprennent en chœur le refrain entonné dans la voiture par le père -, Moretti observe, tout en douceur, la lente désagrégation de cette cohésion après la mort d'Andréa. Tout entier tourné vers lui-même et son irrépressible sentiment de culpabilité, le père sombre peu à peu, délaissant sa femme, sa fille et ses patients. Quant aux autres membres de la famille, la mère (Laura Morante, extraordinaire) survit comme elle peut, accrochée à l'espoir de rencontrer un jour celle qui fut l'éphémère petite amie d'Andréa, et Irène choisit de se renfermer sur elle-même. Interprété avec retenue, filmé tout en délicatesse, le long chemin de croix de cette famille a valu à Nani Moretti une très justifiée Palme d'or à Cannes en 2001. Le DVD – impeccable techniquement – offre des bonus intéressants : la conférence de presse cannoise, une interview un peu convenue de Moretti pour la télévision italienne, un court métrage ; mais sans commune mesure avec ce film qui laisse pantelant, bouleversé et rempli d'espoir à la fois. --Georges Dabeliou

Review
A relatively straightforward film about a father dealing with the death of his son, La Stanza Del Figlio was a surprising choice for the coveted Palm d'Or Award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Unlike many past winners, the film is neither arty nor epic in its vision. Its director and star, Nanni Moretti, adds some eccentric bits to his character, Giovanni, in the beginning of the film, none of which are particularly funny. After his son Andrea's (Giuseppe Sanfelice) death a half-hour or so into the film, the tone shifts to how Giovanni and his family attempt to cope with their loss. Some of these scenes are very moving and the film renders a fairly typical, upper-middle-class family's reaction to this horrible event with much tear-inducing skill. But the film is definitely similar to many TV movies about diseases and family deaths. Thankfully, it doesn't drag out its story like TV movies and occasionally rises above those films because of the strength of Moretti's performance, as well as some well-drawn scenes. Still, it is definitely a modest film for such a prestigious award. ~ Adam Bregman, All Movie Guide

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7 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review (7 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews   The Buddhist Way, Jun 27 2004 By  "rudy100" (durham, nc USA) - See all my reviews Must say that I've been waiting for a film like this for a long time. Nothing fancy, just beautiful, elegant, and detailed. Most of the time I was not aware that I was watching a film. It was that real. The film may have a simple look, but the philosophy/attitude that helps the family to come through the crisis is not. The Buddhist ideas revealed in the film are not some new age bull but sincere and inspiring. And I find the ending extremely powerful yet soothing. This is a great film made by a filmmaker who knows the medium really, really well. Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   The Question The Main Theme Brings About, Jun 17 2004 By  BLee "bpslee" (HK) - See all my reviews    The happiest possible family shrouded by the drowning of a beloved son. So, not even a psychoanalyst is able to extricate himself, let alone helping the other family members. Everything turned sour and was virtually up-side-down eversince. But if this drags on too long as they do, it would instead suggest that there are some intrinsic frailties in this family, at least frailties in their personalities, particuarly so when the family have enjoyed so many years of perfect happiness. Or is it the other way round, too much blessing is in fact a curse? Well, the generation which had gone through the war or some similar disasters seems, on the whole, to be doing better. A nice movie to watch and the cast is perfect, great cimematography with a lot of foreign settings. But the first part is of the movie is more appealing than the last bit though. Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Meditation on Life and Death...and Grief and Love, the Works, Oct 11 2003 By  Gregor von Kallahann - See all my reviews This is only the second Nanni Moretti film that I've seen, and although I know he's known for his comedies, this and CARO DIARIO (the other film I am familiar with) tackle pretty weighty topics of death and dying, how to live in the face of death, the value of work (especially, creative work) and, well, life itself (what does it all mean? how can we make it meaningful? all the big questions). Unlike the largely autobiographical CARO DIARIO, THE SON'S ROOM is a work of fiction and therefore a little easier to deal with. It is, in fact, quite understated, as many other viewers have noted, but there are suggestions of the inner turbulence each character experiences in dealing with the sudden death of a beloved member of the family. Each member of the immediate family has his or her moment of breakdown or dysfunction. Yes, it's predictable enough that we KNOW they're going to get their act together somehow. But it's just unpredictable enough that we don't know how or when or after how many setbacks. Some have commented on the Italian "feel" of the movie, and that difference is certainly apparent when you compare it to an American film on a similar theme, such as ORDINARY PEOPLE, say, or more recently, IN THE BEDROOM (speaking of "room" movies). Bo