Giovanni (Nanni Morretti) is a psychoanalyst and father to Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice). Giovanni blames himself for taking a house call on the day his son dies in a scuba diving accident. There's not a dry eye in the house in this Italian domestic classic.

The mother, Paola (Laura Morante), finds a letter from her son's girlfriend (Arianna (Sofia Vigliar)), in his room after he dies. The mother contacts Arianna but is initially rebuffed. However, Arianna turns up one day and they meet. She has a new boyfriend and is hitchhiking down to France. Giovanni drives them to the border.

"I have not wept as long and as hard since I saw Love Story in the 1970's. Don't start me off again, please, or I will splash you with eye water."

"Damn those subtitles! They flashed past my little ole tear filled eyes so fast I lost track of what they were saying at one point. Still, a wonderful film, if you are in the mood for it, and love a good cry."

"Will the piano player please stop tinkling so, I am welling up just thinking about it."

"I cried and I cried then I cried some more. I threw cushions at the television in an hysterical, teary eyed, kick out moment of rage. I have never been so upset in a movie. Damn them all, it's all so unfair..."

Ooohh me, ohhh my! Tears are welling up even thinking of this tear-filled, nice-calamity of a sublime-monstrosity of a heartbreakingly catastrophic incident which befalls this wonderfully beautiful Italian family. At the start of the movie they have it all. Then it is whisked away in one of those horrid twists of fate that upset us so...

Clearly, if you are not in the mood to chuck pints of tears from your eyes, there is really no point in watching this movie. But if you are in such a mood, fancy an intelligent Italian movie, or can read some very fast moving English subtitles, then this movie cannot be more highly recommended.

Movies don't get much more tragically sad than this movie.

A touching, mini-masterpiece.