It's not just the Atlantic that separates the American film In the Bedroom from the Italian production The Son's Room.

These family dramas are oceans apart in their examination of grief.

In both cases, a family loses a son in a tragic accident -- that's where the similarity ends.

In the Bedroom thrives on sensationalism as it details the parents' descent into madness, while The Son's Room examines the quiet, all encompassing feelings that accompany such a tragedy.

Giovanni (Nanni Moretti) is a respected, successful psychiatrist in a small Northern Italian town.

His wife Paola (Laura Morante) is a partner in a small business. Their daughter Irene (Jasmine Trinca) is a star athlete at her high school and their son, Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice), is a gregarious, if a little bewildering, teenager.

When the film opens, Andrea's teacher accuses the boy and a friend of stealing a fossil from the science lab. It's important to see how this incident impacts on each of the other family members because it foreshadows how they will react to Andrea's death.

Ironically, Giovanni can offer his patients advice and solace, but he can't do the same for himself and his family members.

One of the most striking insights of The Son's Room is its examination of how Giovanni replays the events of the tragic day over in his head. He makes up scenarios that could possibly have prevented the death.

Giovanni's greatest fear is that Andrea might have committed suicide and, as a psychiatrist, he should have seen the signs.

The early scenes in the film showed how happy, adjusted and tight this family was, so watching the relationships disintegrate is harrowing.

The Son's Room is a film that offers hope and where that hope comes from for the three family members is the best and most unexpected surprise in the film.

This is a film brimming with detail and nuance and one that speaks volumes about the ability of the human spirit to find solace in events that could easily crush it forever.

(This film is rated AA)

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