--- title: "The Son's Room: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-sons-room/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-sons-room" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Son's Room (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics find The Son’s Room moving and humane, with praise concentrated on its patient treatment of grief and the performances. The favourable reviews describe Moretti’s direction as restrained, allowing intimate family details to convey the effects of loss without forcing a response. His vulnerable portrayal of a father draws particular appreciation, while Laura Morante’s performance receives repeated praise for making a mother’s grief painfully convincing. The disagreement centres on sentimentality, with assessments ranging from deeply affected to distinctly qualified rather than hostile. Empire finds tenderness and truthful domestic observation, but argues that the sentiment softens the agony. Slant Magazine likewise considers the handling of grief frequently overdone, while finding some quieter passages affecting. The Guardian’s reservation is narrower: it finds the score slightly saccharine despite praising the drama’s emotional credibility. Restraint is therefore both the consensus’s chief praise and its main point of dispute. ## Variety — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 March 2001. Rooney finds the drama profoundly moving, praising its emotional depth and mature, restrained approach to grief. He especially singles out the performances, including Laura Morante’s heartbreaking response to a letter from her son’s former girlfriend. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/the-son-s-room-1200467299/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2002. Bradshaw calls the film accomplished, moving and emotionally convincing, despite a slightly saccharine score. He particularly praises its patient, unflinching depiction of grief and the unexpected final revelation. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/feb/15/1) ## IndieWire — Scott Foundas Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2002. Foundas considers the film a deeply felt, humane meditation on grief and parenthood. He particularly praises Moretti’s vulnerable portrayal of a father confronting loss and the limits of rationality. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-the-philosophy-of-loss-moretti-returns-with-the-sons-room-80551/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. Phipps finds the film deeply affecting while praising its unsentimental handling of grief. He singles out Moretti’s reserved direction for giving viewers a clear view of how loss narrows the family’s world. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-sons-room-1798195793) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 77/100 (inferred from the text). The available description is mildly positive about Moretti’s opening. It praises the unsentimental portrait of an almost complacently happy family. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-sons-room) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2002. The URL identifies this as a film review, but the article text is unavailable. Its verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the page provided. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/01/movies/film-review-from-out-of-the-blue-a-knock-on-the-door.html) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Parkinson finds the film thoughtful and tender, but ultimately too sentimental to convey an agonising sense of loss. He praises the intimate domestic details that make the family’s grief feel truthful. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/son-room-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2/4. 10 October 2001. Gonzalez finds the film’s turn to grief often overdone, though it reaches a more affecting note in the family’s quiet moment by the sea. He singles out the family’s connection with a girl their son met at camp as one of the film’s brighter passages. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-sons-room/) ## Eye for Film — Robert Munro Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 2020. The critic calls the film quietly devastating yet life-affirming, praising its writing and performances. Laura Morante’s portrayal of a mother’s grief is singled out as deeply affecting. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-sons-room-2001-film-review-by-robert-munro) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-sons-room.md