Edwin Pereyra
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 1998
- Messages
- 3,500
'The Best of Youth' (Italy) 2005
Marco Tullio Giordana’s The Best of Youth is an epic drama that spans almost 40 years into the lives of two brothers and their immediate family. The two are the film’s centerpiece – the free-spirited Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) who later settles down and becomes a successful psychiatrist and the introverted Matteo (Alessio Boni), an idealist who later finds himself joining the Italian police force in the hopes of making a difference by righting society’s wrongs.
The narrative intertwines the lives of these two brothers along with the socio-political and historical backdrop of Italy, from the Florence flood in the fall of 1966, the state of Italy’s asylums and the politically charged student demonstrations of the 1970’s to the Mafia activities of the 1980’s that lead to the murder of Sicilian judge Giovanni Falcone. Some regard this 40-year span as the defining moment of post World War II Italy. But any symbolism Giordana tries to convey to the film’s underlying narrative on the lives of the two brothers is not readily apparent on me due to my unfamiliarity with the history of modern Italy. Still, the historical events are presented only in the periphery and the story is really more about the lives of Nicola and Matteo, and to some degree their two sisters and their parents.
The other characters these two meet in later years will provide the challenges and shape their ideology for the rest of their lives. These would include Giorgia (Jasmine Trinca) a mental health patient, Giulia (Sonia Bergamasco) a Red Brigade sympathizer, and Mirella (Maya Sansa) a photojournalist.
Never has a six-hour film seemed so short. Giordana does an incredible job of seamlessly weaving through the historical references that it never becomes the story nor is it forced on the audience. Those unfamiliar with Italy’s modern history will get some aspects of these but the film’s core is richly textured in family dynamics, idealism in the absence of self-righteousness, openness and unselfish love and giving. I’ll credit this to a beautifully crafted screenplay that provide unexpected turns but never judges the characters for the choices they make. The leads and supporting cast each evoke their respective character’s complexity with relative ease and simplicity.
The Best Of Youth is by far the best foreign language film I’ve seen thus far released in 2005. It will be a shame to miss it if only because of its 6-hour running time. Let not its length be an impediment as it actually becomes its virtue.
Youth won top honors at the David di Donatello Awards, Italy’s equivalent of the Oscars, taking Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Producer, Best Editing and Best Sound.
It rates :star: :star: :star: :star: (out of four).
~Edwin
Marco Tullio Giordana’s The Best of Youth is an epic drama that spans almost 40 years into the lives of two brothers and their immediate family. The two are the film’s centerpiece – the free-spirited Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) who later settles down and becomes a successful psychiatrist and the introverted Matteo (Alessio Boni), an idealist who later finds himself joining the Italian police force in the hopes of making a difference by righting society’s wrongs.
The narrative intertwines the lives of these two brothers along with the socio-political and historical backdrop of Italy, from the Florence flood in the fall of 1966, the state of Italy’s asylums and the politically charged student demonstrations of the 1970’s to the Mafia activities of the 1980’s that lead to the murder of Sicilian judge Giovanni Falcone. Some regard this 40-year span as the defining moment of post World War II Italy. But any symbolism Giordana tries to convey to the film’s underlying narrative on the lives of the two brothers is not readily apparent on me due to my unfamiliarity with the history of modern Italy. Still, the historical events are presented only in the periphery and the story is really more about the lives of Nicola and Matteo, and to some degree their two sisters and their parents.
The other characters these two meet in later years will provide the challenges and shape their ideology for the rest of their lives. These would include Giorgia (Jasmine Trinca) a mental health patient, Giulia (Sonia Bergamasco) a Red Brigade sympathizer, and Mirella (Maya Sansa) a photojournalist.
Never has a six-hour film seemed so short. Giordana does an incredible job of seamlessly weaving through the historical references that it never becomes the story nor is it forced on the audience. Those unfamiliar with Italy’s modern history will get some aspects of these but the film’s core is richly textured in family dynamics, idealism in the absence of self-righteousness, openness and unselfish love and giving. I’ll credit this to a beautifully crafted screenplay that provide unexpected turns but never judges the characters for the choices they make. The leads and supporting cast each evoke their respective character’s complexity with relative ease and simplicity.
The Best Of Youth is by far the best foreign language film I’ve seen thus far released in 2005. It will be a shame to miss it if only because of its 6-hour running time. Let not its length be an impediment as it actually becomes its virtue.
Youth won top honors at the David di Donatello Awards, Italy’s equivalent of the Oscars, taking Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Producer, Best Editing and Best Sound.
It rates :star: :star: :star: :star: (out of four).
~Edwin