The film received positive reviews , with Rotten Tomatoes measuring an 84 % approval rating based on 83 reviews , with an average rating of 7.3 / 10 . The website 's critical consensus reads , " '' The Sons Room '' is a moving and contemplative study of grief . " On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 , based on 34 critics , indicating " generally favorable reviews " . Roger Ebert gave it three and a half stars , writing , " Sometimes in a quite ordinary way a director can reach out and touch us . " Stephen Holden of '' The New York Times '' assessed it as touching , drawing a parallel to the September 11 attacks that year , which showed how sudden tragedy devastates the living . Holden opined the film was not very creative but featured solid acting . David Rooney of '' Variety '' called it " a delicate drama of pain and grief , " criticizing Moretti 's performance as overly self-conscious but praising Morante as " deeply moving . " Meredith Brody of '' The Chicago Reader '' said the film demonstrated " tender skill . " '' Time Out '' praised it as " Subtle , psychologically astute and engagingly unassertive in tone , " concluding it is " A gem . " Michael Wilmington of '' The Chicago Tribune '' called the film " moving . " The film appears in '' Empire '' 's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time at number 480 . Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian , included the film in its list of ten ' Best films of the noughties ' ( 2000-2009 )
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
The Son's Room