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The Son's Room
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Viva Italia!
The Son's Room
Rated R
2001, Miramax
Italian for Beginners
Rated R
2001, Miramax
If there's one fact that sums up the current apathy of American moviegoers towards foreign-language films, it's this: Italy's most important contemporary director, Nanni Moretti, has little or no recognition in the United States. Let's hope the home video release of Moretti's latest film, his heartfelt melodrama about a family coping with the loss of their teen-age son, The Son's Room, will change that.
Giovanni (Moretti) is a successful analyst who deals in an easygoing manner with the small, day-to-day crises facing his family. His wife, Paola (Laura Morante), is a book editor. His daughter, Irene (Jasmine Trinca), and son, Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice), both attend a nearby high school. Everything changes when Giovanni finds one of his son's friends waiting outside his door. Andrea, he learns, went scuba diving and suffered a terrible accident. For the first time, Giovanni finds himself incapable of dealing with his life and its newfound challenges.
Like all of Moretti's films -- including his documentaries, Caro Diario and The Opening Day of Close Up, as well as his earlier dramas, La Messa é Finita, Palombella Rossa and Bianca -- The Son's Room has a naturalistic directing style, a sly sense of comedy and understated lead performances. The Son's Room is metaphysical in spirit, addressing what constitutes a "good" life. By playing the central character, a task he performs in all his films, Moretti brings The Son's Room a welcome, subjective touch.
Because he writes, directs and stars in his movies, Moretti is frequently referred to as "Italy's Woody Allen." It's a clever label, but his movies are more humanistic than any of Allen's comedies.
Moviegoers pretty much ignored Moretti's The Son's Room when it was released in theaters earlier this year. Perhaps, via home video, they might welcome Moretti into their homes.
Denmark's gritty Dogme 95 movement, a wave of intimate dramas made with handheld cameras and natural sound, breaks new ground with its first romantic comedy. Funny and kind-hearted, Italian for Beginners is an unexpected surprise. Writer/director Lone Scherfig tells the story of a relocated parish minister (Anders W. Berthelsen) who restarts his personal life by joining other lovelorn inhabitants of a Copenhagen suburb at weekly Italian language classes. Inspired by their newfound skills at speaking Italian, they slowly bring romance back into their lives.
Like all Dogme films, Italian for Beginners has the look of a low-budget documentary. Yet, its visual grit matches well with Scherfig's playful storytelling. By Italian for Beginners' warmhearted finale, it's impossible not to be won over by its likable characters and optimistic feel for romance. Italian for Beginners is the first Dogme film that actually makes you happy. Film buffs won't know what hit them.
Italian for Beginners grade: B.
The Son's Room grade: A.
And the rest
Henry Jaglom's easygoing comedy about the Cannes Film Festival, Festival in Cannes (Paramount), is more enjoyable each time I watch it. An ensemble of interconnecting show biz tales, Jaglom's storytelling has its share of misses. Still, the film's clever bits make it all worthwhile. Ron Silver is appropriately smarmy as a powerful movie producer who clashes with an annoying upstart (Zack Norman). Maximilian Schell, as a difficult auteur, and Anouk Aimée, as a veteran French actress, give subtle performances in roles that are essentially themselves. Jenny Gabrielle, playing a young actress who becomes the hit of the festival, fails to make an impact. The best performance belongs to Greta Scacchi, who plays a middle-aged actress trying to raise funds for her directing debut. If Jaglom spent more time on Scacchi, he would have had a better film.
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