Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A psychoanalyst and his family go through profound emotional trauma when their son dies in a scuba diving accident.
Nanni Moretti's Palme d'Or-winning Italian drama is a quietly devastating portrait of grief, distinguished primarily by its restrained, naturalistic performances — Moretti himself is particularly affecting as the father whose professional composure crumbles under personal loss. The film's strength lies in its emotional authenticity and understated approach to trauma rather than melodrama. The plot is deliberately simple, tracing grief's disorienting rhythms without narrative contrivance. Cinematography is clean and unshowy, serving the domestic intimacy. The ending, with the bittersweet arrival of the son's girlfriend, offers gentle catharsis rather than resolution. Novelty is moderate — the grief drama is well-trodden territory, though Moretti's psychoanalyst framing and autobiographical sincerity give it a distinctive texture.