Known for his lighter fare, Italian filmmaker-actor Nanni Moretti gets serious with La Stanza Del Figlio (The Son's Room), a highly contemplative but emotionally remote examination of the grieving process. While there will be those who applaud the film for generally steering clear of heavy-handed manipulation, the scenes nevertheless have a prefabricated, synthetic feel that prevent the material from being tangibly affecting. Judging from a very diverse audience response at Cannes, its ultimate success depends on the degree of viewer identification.

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