Sunday, 03 October 2010 09:50

The Best of Youth

The Best of Youth (La meglio gioventù) is a beautiful and touching family story that goes through thirty-seven years of Italian history. Two brothers live their lives in the period from 1966 to 2003 when Italy went through the flood of Florence, the students protests of 68, the terrorism of the 70s and 80s, the war against the mafia and the political turmoil of Tangentopoli. 

 

“Despite its unblinking attention to the destructive forces at large in Italian society - from the Red Brigades terror and the political scandals of the 1970's to the anti-Mafia campaigns (and further political scandals) of more recent years - the spirit of "The Best of Youth" is quietly, wryly optimistic. Its political point of view turns out to be precisely the tolerant, middle-class humanism, with its belief in human goodness and the possibility of social progress, that the postwar generation claimed to rebel against.

 

Nicola's professional life, which occasionally drifts into the foreground of the story, involves him in efforts to improve the treatment of the mentally ill, and this rather specialized cause is the clearest statement of the film's central idea, which is that a commitment to human dignity is ideology enough” *.

 

Movie quote:
Sara: What should I do?
Nicola: I don't know, it depends on how strong you feel... Are you happy now?
Sara: Of course I am!
Nicola: Then, it's time to be generous

 

 

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana
Screenplay: Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli
Year: 2003
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama/Romance 
Runtime: 383 min 
Filimg locations: Florence, Rome, Turin, Palermo, Spoleto, Ravenna, Marghera.
Music: A chi performed by Fausto Leali
Cast: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Adriana Asti, Sonia Bergamasco, Fabrizio Gifuni, Maya Sansa, Valentina Carnelutti, Jasmine Trinca, Riccardo Scamarcio, Andrea Tidona, Lidia Vitale, Claudio Gioè, Paolo Bonanni, Mario Schiano, Giovanni Scifoni, Michele Melega
IMDB ratting: 8.1

 

(*) A.O.Scott – The New York Times

 

 

 

The Best of Youth 

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