La Meglio gioventù - The Best of Youth (2003)

Monson & Yeomans Rating: 9.5/10

IMDB User Rating: 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Rating: 95%

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana

Plot Outline: Chronological, from 1963 until 2003, moving around Italy, from Rome to the floods of Florence in 1966, student unrest in Turin, Mafia murders in Palermo, chance in Milan, plus two trips to Norway. Brothers Matteo and Nicola, of opposite temperament, try to free Giorgia, a teen, from a mental institution: their failure leads Nicola into psychiatry and Matteo to the police. In Florence, Nicola meets Giulia, a musician and leftist whose Red Brigade ties drive them apart after they have a child. In Palermo, Matteo meets Mirella, a photographer; they connect again in Rome. The film explores love, family, friendship, politics, mental illness, tragedy, and opportunities to forgive and to heal.

Matthew's Review:
This film is 6 hours long, but I feel that not a single minute can be spared. I heard of this film when it came to the Calgary Film Festival a couple years ago, but I couldn’t pull together my act to see it at that time. I think I appreciate it within the comfort of my own home anyways. This film mostly covers the lives of two brothers and those that closely surround them over a period of about 40 years. I feel that when this much care and attention is put into producing a film that covers such a vast span of one’s life and the relationships involved, you are almost guaranteed to end up with a very unique and powerful perspective. I absolutely loved it. I feel that this film is perfectly titled because that describes what I feel I took away from the viewing experience. The film seems to put forward this certain theme or feeling of the greatness and uniqueness of youth; which takes experiencing much more than just youth in order to grasp to any degree. I think my favorite (and most easily remembered) scene was very close to the end, and it includes a very bold move that could easily come off as cheesy (with the presence of a certain character), but it is pulled off perfectly. However, it is immediately following the character’s exit which contains the most power for me. A man and a woman are walking and he puts his arm around her shoulders and she receives it. Then there are about 10 seconds where you understand all of the things that are rushing through their minds and hearts before anything else happens. I don’t feel that those moments couldn’t have been achieved without the 6 hours of beautifully told story building up to it. Not that that moment is even needed to make this a great film, but it was much appreciated. I rate this 4.75/5.

Ryan's Review:
This is the longest movie I've seen to date. The running time was a solid 6 hours and 6 minutes. I loved pretty much every minute of it. This film was a detailed look at the lives of a group of family and friends spanning over nearly 40 years. It took us through the joyous and romantic moments, through to the sorrowful and aggravating moments, then back again to the beautiful moments. The creativity, depth of story, and believability of it kept me thoroughly engaged throughout the film. Watching this movie felt as though I was reading a book because it took the time to show/tell/describe many of the details in the stages of the lives of the characters that normally wouldn't fit into a single movie. This was the easiest 6 hours of movie watching for me, aside from the hour of hunger waiting for the intermission so we could make some dinner. If you have time and patience, definitely check this film out. 4.75/5.


Monson & Yeomans Rating: 9.5/10