The Son's Room, the film that won the Palme D'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, is a compelling story of a once tight-knit family who have to come to terms with the devastating loss of a child. Nanni Moretti plays Giovanni, a psychiatrist who finds it difficult to sustain interest in his profession after the family tragedy. I watched the Italian film yesterday at Tal-Qroqq as part of the Evenings on Campus arts programme. It was not too difficult for me to feel the film's emotional impact having gone through similar emotions last year. During the European Parliament election campaign last year my attention was often more focused on the sudden death of my sister's daughter Miriam towards the beginning of the campaign.

The feelings the film expresses hold an undeniable sense of truth about grief and dealing with loss. Although melancholic in tone, it is still uplifting and ends on a hopeful note. I will probably not see it three times like Matthew Vella and his brother Mark but a film like this could stop you from worrying about other things in life that are often inconsequential.

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