One of Nanni Moretti’s best parts was in The Son’s Room, as a father struggling to come to terms with his son’s fatal accident. The Italian actor and director plays a recent widower in Antonello Grimaldi’s film, learning to live his formerly busy life as a single parent.
He plays a film executive who has just rescued a woman from drowning on the beach when he learns that his wife has been killed in a freak accident. Back in Rome, he discovers how difficult it is to bring up his
10-year-old daughter (Blu Yoshimi) alone. He begins an entirely new regime, not only taking her to school each day but waiting outside in the park until she comes out again.
A pretty dog-walker (Kasia Smutniak) eventually attracts his attention and so does a Down’s syndrome boy he meets, who seems to know more about life than he does.
Meanwhile, fellow film people come to the park to comfort him, including Roman Polanski in a smarter suit than usual.
Quiet Chaos is understated and restrained, perhaps too much so. But Moretti, watching dolefully as parents arrive to pick up their children each day, gives a fine, deliberately downbeat performance, and Valeria Golino as his sister-in-law and Alessandro Gassman as his brother are good in support.
Quiet Chaos (Caos Calmo)
Cert: 15
