Quiet Chaos

Aroview: Eccentrically-pitched extension to Nanni Moretti’s Cannes-winning meditation on grief, THE SON’S ROOM, with the Woody Allen-esque personality in the role of a recently widowed father struggling to cope with the passing of his wife – killed, ironically, while he was helping save two women from drowning.

Sometimes played for laughs, this sends up Moretti’s neurotic tendencies and unfortunate situation in an endearing, often absurdist way, with a bizarre cameo by Roman Polanski the pick of the film’s unpredictable asides. Unfortunately, the tone is so uneven, if not downright bewildering (an awkward sex scene one such peculiarity), that the character’s journey through grief is lost in the medley. Those willing to stick with it though are sure to be rewarded with some dramatic truths about coming to terms with death.