The Hand of God (2021) User Reviews

Beautiful looking pastiche of emotions, but lacks the hand of a storywriter

[Field78 · 6/10 · 11 January 2022]

Having seen four of Paolo Sorrentino's movies now, I have finally and regrettably seen enough to admit that I am not a fan of his work. For some reasons, his movies don't engage me enough emotionally to care. Le conseguenze dell'amore (The Consequences of Love) was an interesting look into the life of a man with a dark secret, but I believed that it would have worked better as a character study if the revelation at the end had come earlier in the movie. I liked Youth better, a modest and entertaining contemplation of ageing, even though as a 40-something, it didn't fully move me either.

His celebrated La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) was voted Best Movie of the Year by many, but it left me puzzled, as I saw little more than short vignettes about Roman life without much of an overall encompassing idea, story thread or theme. I watched it again to make sure that I didn't miss anything, but my response was largely the same: lots of eye candy with little nutritional value for the mind. And that is probably no coincidence, because I have the same problems and more with The Hand of God.

I know that Sorrentino's work is quite beloved and that many people probably enjoyed or will enjoy this film as a lovingly disarming portrait of family and tragedy, wrapped around a coming-of-age story. Good for them, because what I unfortunately saw again was a too loosely connected series of scenes that emotion-wise go all over the place, and felt more like numerous short films tacked together than a sincere chronicle. It took me almost half the movie to get a grip on the many family members who Sorrentino loves to present with all their peculiarities, but most of these characters are merely one-dimensional charicatures with a social or physical handicap who don't get the screen time needed to get emotionally invested in them. This would have been okay if this had been a broad comedy or even a crude farce about a dysfunctional family, but I simply didn't find it that funny. Although some scenes elicited a smile, none of them are exactly laugh out loud, and since they didn't really connect or reinforced one another, I saw little progress in the story.

When the big plot development happens in the second half, things started to look more promising for a while. But even here, Sorrentino barely uses the plot elements at his disposal to pull at some heartstrings. Every time something seems ready to be fleshed out, we cut to a completely different scene where we can enjoy the great locations and photography or another weird character, but instead of depth, it adds yet another new shade to a canvas that is already full of a wide variety of colored spots. I failed to see a bigger picture, to my regret.

Sorrentino is clearly more of a moodpainter than a good storyteller, and that is apparently what a lot of viewers love about his movies. I remember the most famous scene from Youth where Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel watch in dumbstruck awe as a beautiful young and naked woman enters their swimming pool, and Hand of God has a similar scene with Aunt Patrizia that elicits a similar mix of sensations, somewhere between awkwardness and lustful ecstasy. So for those who also loved La Grande Bellezza for its colorful mix of emotions and sensations, go and watch it. For the rest, I would recommend the Italian classic Cinema Paradiso, a deeply moving coming of age story that did work for me, or even Disney's Encanto for a truly funny and heartwarming story about dysfunctional families.

Masterpiece

[yusufpiskin · 8/10 · 15 December 2021]

For a reason I could never understand, everyone expected a "Rome" from Sorrentino. And out of every 5 reviews written about this movie, 4 of them mentioned the movie 'ROMA'.

Sorrentino made his own 'È stata la mano di Dio' rather than his own Rome, and he did it well.

I didn't want to watch this movie without a proper copy, when Netflix came to my rescue.

It was a beautiful film with everything from its editing to the role its screenplay plays in storytelling, from the angle choices of the cinematographer to the sometimes exaggerated and everywhere calm performances of the actors.

It's been a long time since I heard Italian "in a good sense" in the cinema.

And it was worth the wait.

Don't ever come undone

[Marwan-Bob · 8/10 · 24 December 2021]

It's been a long time since I've seen a great italien film, and i always say this "Sorrentino is the closest we're ever gonna have to Fellini". One of the realest, saddest and funniest movies of 2021!

Sorrentino's autobiographical tale of his beginnings in Naples

[gortx · 16 December 2021]

Paolo Sorrentino's autobiographical picture follows the filmmaker's stand-in Fabietto (Filippo Scotti) as an introverted teenager in 80s era Naples. His father Saverio (the great Toni Servillo) and Mother Maria (Teresa Saponangelo; quite engaging) live a comfortable life with their other son Marchino (Marlon Joubert). There is also an extended family of colorful relatives and circle of friends. Fabietto can't help but be mesmerized by his bodacious and extroverted aunt Patrizia (Luisa Ranieri).

Sorrentino has never made a secret about his admiration for Federico Fellini and the first half of the picture is clearly designed with the Maestro's masterpiece AMARCORD in mind. Instead of the rise of Mussolini as a backdrop that ties the vignettes together, here it's the arrival of soccer great Diego Maradona who signs with Napoli and becomes a local legend (the title is in reference to his most famous play). It's when things get more serious in the second half where one sees what inspired Sorrentino to tell such a personal tale. Fabietto is faced with having to truly grow up - and, in a hurry. To decide what his future may be. The anecdotes and episodes continue to be serio-comic and filled with often over the top details. It's very much in the vein of Fellini's early classic, I VITELLONI.

Actor Scotti does very well in trying to channel Sorrentino's alter-ego. He has a natural presence and he does what he can to give the viewer a reason to care about his life. Still, Sorrentino's screenplay never quite unites all of its various threads into a cohesive narrative. We only see snippets of Fabietto's interest in cinema. Not only is Fellini mentioned, but so are other major Directors of Italian cinema such as Franco Zefferelli and Sergio Leone. But, it is local Neapolitan filmmaker Antonio Capuano (played by Ciro Capano) who gives young Fabietto some important but stern advice (Capano became a mentor to Sorrentino). It's a strong sequence, but, far too little and too late in the proceedings to anchor the movie. Just because a film is 'from the heart' doesn't mean it translates well to the screen. One has to invite in the viewer. Here, far too much of it plays like Sorrentino's personal notebook. It's vividly produced with some very fine cinematography by Daria D'Antonio and it has a lively cast, but, it never truly sings. HAND OF GOD gives the viewer some insight into Sorrentino's past, but, it never quite fully connects.

Fantastico

[PedroPires90 · 9/10 · 23 December 2021]

A brilliant piece of filmmaking that totally took my breath away. This feels a lot personal because it is. Sorrentino created this film with an enormous love and you just feel it. His use of camara is outstanding, applying a lot of different techniques to give us some really beautiful shots and scenes, all of them unforgettable.

The first hour is magic. I laughed more than in most comedies I've seen. I was totally in awe with all those fascinating and lively characters. Everything feel so alive, so real. The sense of community is palpable.

The second hour is emotionally brutal. Sorrentino doesn't want to stay for a long time on overdramatic scenes. Just the necessary to tell his story. But he does it through powerful images and with a lot to say.

Even if this film is personal to the director, I believe this will feel familiar to a lot of us and that is the beauty of the cinema: a personal individual story can touch many people. Great homage to Napoli and cinema in a fantastic coming of age film.

One of the best contemporary Italian directors

[fabiosciarra-1 · 9/10 · 28 November 2021]

It is a very difficult challenge to try to lightly tell such a personal and traumatic drama as it happens in "The hand of God". The director Sorrentino tries to face it without veils and metaphors, keeping only his very personal taste for the grotesque and decadence because- as he tries to explain several times in the film- after the personal tragedy he experienced as a teenager, he no longer likes reality: "the reality is poor". Yet reality can also be extraordinary, so much so as to generate one of the best contemporary Italian directors from a such atrocious trauma.

Brilliant and empty

[norbert-plan-618-715813 · 6/10 · 2 April 2022]

All that for this... What can we remember about this film? A slice of life for the young Filippo Scotti between his mother, his father, his aunt, his brother, the city of Naples, soccer and Maradona. That's a lot of things. And he seems interested in cinema (probably autobiographical elements of Paolo Sorrentino).

Paolo Sorrentino loves the female body. This is one of the interests of the film. Paolo Sorrentino has a way of approaching sex and sexuality, in a direct and straightforward way, in the everyday life of the family that makes it not shocking. Note that a dimension of Italian families is missing: the Catholic religion. It is absent from the film. This may explain it.

All the technical departments are of high level: interpretation, photography (superb), reconstruction of the 80s, scenery, with the city of Naples and its spectacular scenery. They allow to maintain the interest, even if the story is not particularly exciting. The film contains some superb shots, which give images of great beauty (for example, the chandelier lit on the floor, which produces a visual memory).

However, the film has little emotion. It is brilliant in form. But the feeling is that it is empty.

An authentic, personal coming-of-age story that is equal parts charming and emotional

[JoelAlexanderr · 9/10 · 25 December 2021]

Authenticity and being true to oneself are large factors that define the best filmmakers of any generation. These traits are also what define Paolo Sorrentino's new film THE HAND OF GOD, a personal story of a teenager in Naples, Italy who is looking to become his own person within the chaos of an overbearing, yet loving family. Sorrentino claims to have written this film about true events that happened in his childhood, and whether or not this is true, the passion and love for the material shows through the fantastic filmmaking. Much of the first act of the film consists of the younger Sorrentino, played excellently by Filippo Scotti and named Fabietto in the narrative, being drowned out by his family's banter and gossip. The film cements into the audience the nature of the family and of the culture before it focuses in on Fabietto and becomes a personal coming-of-age story.

The very first shot of THE HAND OF GOD is one of the most stunning of 2021 -- a sweeping helicopter shot of Naples from the sea in front of it, giving viewers a look at the vastness of the city and the extent of the culture before sharing one of the many personal stories from it. THE HAND OF GOD is just as much a film about the city of Naples and the people in it as it is a story about a teenager who has a love for football (soccer in America) and his eventual desire to direct film. Sorrentino understands that his story is just one of many stories from his city that could be told in a film format, and he constantly highlights the great number of supporting characters, showing their issues as well as his own. Supposedly, Alfonso Cuaron's masterful Roma was a major inspiration for Sorrentino's decision to produce this film. Cuaron proved that a specific, personal story could become a successful and acclaimed movie that connects with people on different levels all over the world. THE HAND OF GOD will likely achieve this feat as well, delivering a story that anyone will find something in.

While the culture-specific ramblings of Fabietto's family near the beginning are essential to contextualize the story, they also drag the movie's pacing. Multiple times during the runtime, it is difficult to comprehend what direction the plot seems to be going in, which requires the audience to be patient before any direct characterization or important events kick in. However, Fabietto's story is still an entrancing one full of inspiration, self-discovery and great sadness. The film is full of oddly specific details that could only be told by someone who took those events from lived experiences, and despite the dragging pace is full of a cultural richness that is rare in a movie that crosses over to American audiences. Sorrentino shows the community of the people in Naples, Italy through their shared excitement for football superstar Diego Maradona's transfer to the Napoli club. At times, the people in Naples develop a larger attachment to Maradona than they do to their loved ones and religious beliefs, which shows the importance of community and idolization in the culture of Sorrentino's youth.

By the end, THE HAND OF GOD is a coming of age story first and foremost. The innocent bantering of the first 30 minutes feels years away by the time the final act arrives, similar to how one's first day of high school feels like a lifetime ago after turning 20 years-old. Fabietto's future feels almost within grasp when the movie ends, which is a hopeful irony given the product of his future endeavors is the very film being viewed. Sorrentino's journey back to his childhood is one worth taking, and not just if you can relate to the culture or the specific details of the story. THE HAND OF GOD is a personal story that viewers seldom see in cinemas these days, and more films need to be produced with the same intimate roots and open-minded possibilities.

A-

No doubt a good movie.

[Filip-Kolakowski · 7/10 · 20 December 2021]

Felt quite a bit like Gabriel Garzia Marquez, with somewhat irrational storytelling. The place of the action is told more through the time changing the people. 100 years of solitude would be a great book for someone who liked this movie.

A movie you know everything about, but don't.

[alejandroalcantara_ · 9/10 · 3 January 2022]

90/100

"Toof, toof, toof..."

That sound is actually how the movie starts, along with a wide shot of 1980s Naples. For an instant, that shot bores you out to death, maybe because there's literally nothing else to see but some random boat and some pretty shot of a clamorous, tumultous city. Looking back at it now, it almost has a nostalgic effect to it. Because that depiction of that specific shot isn't wrong per se, at the end of the day, it IS a random shot of some loud city with a boat snuck in it, but it has so much more to it that it makes it not feel entirely right... That's exactly how I feel about the movie in general.

Sorrentino's filmmaking has this fame of being "custom made"; he makes movies that may only expound to him so personally since they speak so particularly of an almost exclusive feeling made for him, but at the same time, that same individuality puts the same effect forward to so many of us at the same time...

It's almost impossible to give this movie a plot summary, because it almost feels like it's leaving so much behind, but at the same time it isn't; this movie isn't JUST about a boy struggling to find an identity when tragedy struck, but that's also what the movie is about.

The plot itself, as a result of feeling so volatile, feels like it's in control of everything while hiding that unpredictability throughout. A movie that deals with themes of leaving things behind in an unpredictable time that when, looking back at them, that same nostalgic feeling (the same I had with that freaking shot) kicks in for a time that feels so recent yet so far away at the same time... It's like that boy's experience is so similar to MY experience watching this movie, even when they don't look alike, but do at the same time.

È stata la mano di Dio - 2021, Paolo Sorrentino

[astridgelmini · 6/10 · 27 December 2021]

My opinion, about this film, differs than others, in fact I think this film is not so good.

During the runtime, I thought all the time: "when this will end? I can't take it anymore" "Others" say this film is wonderful and deep, but I say that it is boring and discounted.

The film is set in Naples in the 1980s and tells the story of a lonely boy named Fabietto who lives a life full of ups and downs, disappointments and satisfactions (including the arrival of Maradona in Naples).

The director is Paolo Sorrentino, also from Naples, and it is from 2021.

The principal actors are Luisa Ranieri (Patrizia in the movie), Filippo Scotti, who is Fabietto Schisa, Teresa Saponangelo and Toni Servilli, who are Maria e Saverio Schisa.

My thesis is: this film is good but not so good.

It is done well but does not transmit anything, the events are basic, and they don't have any suspense or twists and turns, for example the family lunch, there is a good 10-15 minutes in which they eat and interact with each other, admittedly a very intimate and beautiful moment, but its flaw is that it conveys no desire to go on to find out what is going to happen. This feeling, "to find out what is going to happen" I felt at the begin, the first shot which is composed of almost 2 min of sea and silence and then immediately, out of the blue, after this feeling of peace, the director decides to throw us into the middle of the city center full of noise and honking horns.

It must be said, however, that the photography and acting in this film is not bad at all, and the meanings and teachings are very beautiful, but perhaps they should have been developed more. There are two hours in which nothing exciting happens, and in these two hours I think that Fabietto's feelings and desires should have been developed better.

So to conclude in brief, Acting: 6,5 Characters: 6 Cinematography: 8 Plot: 4 Ending: 5 But this is my opinion :) Thank for reding so far.

Amazing

[atractiveeyes · 9/10 · 15 December 2021]

Italy's submission to 2022's Oscars and Golden Globes nominee is a unique coming of age movie. It's dramatic yet light and funny, portrayed in a beautiful special way. Screenplay is brilliant with many amazing lines. Cinematography is awesome. The cast is interesting and crazy. It's sad, cute, sensational and highly enjoyable.

Director Paulo Sorrentino revisits his youth

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 17 December 2021]

As "The Hand of God" (2021 release from Italy; 130 min.) opens, we are introduced to a woman named Patrizia. She gets involved with a stranger who claims to be able to make her have babies. When she gets home, Patrizia's husband is none too pleased. We then get to know Fabietto, a 17 yr old boy who lives with his parents and older brother. Fabietto asks his dad whether Maradona will join the Napoli soccer team, to which his dad responds "no way Maradona would come here!". At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest opus from respected (and Oscar-winning) Italian writer-director Paulo Sorrentino ("Youth", "The Great Beauty"). Here Serrentino goes back to his roots growing up in Napoli, and he brings us a sprawling, Robert Altman-reminding family tale with more characters than you can keep track of. As a result, it takes a while for us the viewers to settle in on what is happening and with whom. There are several major plot twists along the way so the less said about that, the better. PLEASE NOTE: this movie is NOT a sports movie about Diego Maradona in any way, shape or form. Maradona simply is mentioned as a recurring conversation piece. (Not to mention that his (in)famous 1986 World Cup "hand of God" goal doesn't fit the chronological time line of this movie.) Sorrentino puts a lot of time and effort in recreating Napoli as it was in the mid-80s, and with great effect. However, the movie is a bit overlong for its own good.

"The Hand of God" premiered at this year's Venice film festival to critical acclaim. It started streaming on Netflix earlier this week (no theatrical release in the US that I'm aware of). If you are in the mood for a rich family and coming-of-age drama set in Napoli in the 1890s, even if it's a bit long, I'd readily suggest you check this out on Netflix, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Beautiful but dull

[Filmdokter · 5/10 · 23 March 2022]

Unfortunately this wasn't a mind blowing experience as La Grande Bellezza. This film was shot beautifully, no question about it, but the story nowhere near as interesting as The aforementioned film.

A lyrical reverie about his Neapolitan youth by an Italian director.

[JohnDeSando · 19 December 2021]

"Cinema is a distraction, reality is second-rate." Fellini (overheard in in this movie)

As Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino's stand-in, Fabietto (Filippo Scotti), comes of age in The Hand of God, he experiences the vagaries and beauties of Neapolitan life, not the least of which is his growing love of cinema. While half way through he will experience a life-changing tragedy, he will throughout be an observer of Naples with its Fellini-like freaks and gorgeous gulf-coast scenery. In a way, this is Sorrentino's Amarcord.

The Hand of God is a title derived from the description of soccer god, Diego Maradona, and his magical, controversial goal in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal. It also could refer to the Sistine Chapel's fingers, and many other references that bolster this luminous description of Sorrentino's early life in Naples.

When Fabietto sees his aunt, Patrizia (Luisa Ranieri), naked on occasion, Sorrentino shows the emerging appreciation of sexuality in a young-man's sensibility and the parallel lushness of Italy, whose food is legendary and sensuality eternal. Both his older brother Marchino (Marlon Joubert) and he are transfixed by the eroticism, which undoubtedly creeps into all of Sorrentino's work.

Patrizia fuels the erotic fantasies of Fabietto and his older brother Marchino (Marlon Joubert), an aspiring actor too conventionally handsome to be of interest to the great Fellini.

It's as if Sorrentino is saying that these images helped him form his cinematic persona and lifelong affection for his youth in a culturally-rich country. The appearance of a Neapolitan folklore hero, a child monk in a sumptuous palazzo with a deteriorating chandelier, is just one of the many images Sorrentino uses to emphasize the wealthy culture he grew up in.

In addition to the tragedy, Fabietto is most moved by an encounter at a shoot in the historic Galleria Umberto I with director Antonio Capuano (Ciro Capano), his future mentor, who explains cinema with a hard-nosed philosophy that incorporates individuality as the driving force. Upon giving himself to courage and perseverance, as director Capuano advises, Fabio will be a hope of Italian cinema, incorporating the lyrical jumble of happy images from his tender youth to the contemplative awareness in his growing years.

From the Felliniesque characters of his youth-circus-like fat women, goddess-like nymphs, and bold friends like Armando (Biaggio Manna-a John Belushi type), Fabio will break the bounds of domestic life and teen-age longings to strike out into a cinematic world that promises to be at least a distraction rather than a second-rate experience.

Sorrentino has been touched by the hand of God.

Typical Sorrentino

[dimitricuzzocrea · 9/10 · 26 December 2021]

A classic. Sorrentino takes you on a journey around Naples, sharing memories of the past mixed with what I can only assume are references to many other famous directors, Fellini being one of them.

Now, is it a joyous movie? Is it a sad one? Neither, it is an everyday kind of story told by the best Italian director of the last 20 years.

Gorgeous Looking Coming of Age Story

[evanston_dad · 8/10 · 3 February 2022]

A gorgeous looking coming of age story that's worth watching for the Italian locations alone.

Paolo Sorrentino has been compared to Federico Fellini, and watching this film you can see why. This movie reminded me a lot of Fellini's "Amarcord," not necessarily in the specifics but in the general tone and vibe. "The Hand of God" flip flops between gentle comedy and domestic tragedy deftly, and in that way feels a lot like life. It's about a teenager who's forced to forge a life for himself and a place in the world when his parents are suddenly and unexpectedly removed from the picture. I've also seen it compared to "Call Me by Your Name," and I can see why, but in many ways it's a very different kind of movie from that one.

The family at the film's center should probably have disgusted me actually since they're kind of mean. In the film's first half hour they mock a woman for being fat and a man for having a speech disability. There's a smugness about them that comes from being part of an insular group where you always know you'll never be an outsider. It makes the later portion of the film that much more poignant, then, when the main character loses that protection and the big wide world becomes an insular club that excludes him.

This movie is so laid back that it would be easy to enjoy it without thinking much at all about what it's also saying. But this is one film that has both beauty and brains.

Grade: A.

The Hand Of God

[khalidmoubile · 7/10 · 13 February 2022]

Back to the 1980's In Naples, a young man from a simple Italian family who's obsessed with Maradona and his hot aunt is trying to understand what is life about .

I loved the first chapter with the Italian family meeting vibes and how people were in love with Napoli and Maradona.

It's a pure drama that is full of life lessons.

A lovely portrait of an unusual city

[hanuman10356 · 8/10 · 26 December 2021]

Although I have only an embryonic understanding of Italian, I felt the rhythm and mood of the scenes allowed me to feel the soul of Naples on a cellular level.

A great true story of the director's tragedy and coming of age in Naples

[cotta002-318-865119 · 7/10 · 6 March 2022]

You get a true immersive feeling of how it is to live in a family in Naples.

Lots of jokes, enjoying life , pranks played but also some tragedies and how people cope.

Considering the need for the fast running script to show authentic Italian families banter and chatting the actors were great it gives a realism to the movie.

Up for best foreign movie Oscar, definitely worth the nomination.

Masterpiece, simply gorgeous.

[SamuSixx · 9/10 · 22 December 2021]

This film simply left me speechless, it is just perfect in everything. Some scenes made me feel really bad, it is a film that takes you 100% and that despite the duration of two hours and a few minutes seems much shorter. There are funny scenes and raw scenes that alternate during the viewing, all directed by the great Sorrentino. I recommend the vision to EVERYONE, it is truly wonderful, I hope it wins the Oscar for best international film.

a melancholic inspiring piece of drama

[malekjamal · 7/10 · 16 December 2021]

The Hand of God is a movie about loss. A movie about grief. A movie about trauma. Pain can either change us completely or make us lose ourselves, and that's what the movie is all about. I think everyone can slightly, if not majorly relate, to the plot of the movie. We've all been through moments in our life that shifted our whole perspectives onto a different angle. The movie was natural and nostalgic at some points as well. The ambient makes you feel like you were there at some point because everything looks familiar. The acting was good and some parts delivered subtle ideas with simple gestures and expressions.

Unpredictable

[b4blue · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

Even though I was bored and my every hope of a plot was squashed, I loved it for the same reasons. Even documentaries have some kind of narrative that is pushed on a viewer. Here I felt none. I don't have to be entertained to like something. Just like in real life, reasons that make something happen are hidden and left for you to guess. Young protagonist wants to escape his life and become a film director, but doesn't (know) have a story to tell. This is his story. It is a story. One of countless stories. Take it for what it is.

Sorrentino and Fabietto

[roberteaglesaner · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

There is something oddly amiss with Sorrentino's semi-autobiographical love letter to Italy, his youth, and his film-making journey; however, no matter how hard you try, it's nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly what's gone awry. You'll be hard-pressed to levy the criticism of a distant emotional connection to the characters with the audience. Especially, when at first glance Sorrentino is doing everything right: the first half of this movie is brimming with life, family, laughter, and in the latter Sorrentino rips the rug out from underneath us, leaving the viewer to basque in a void of melancholy. But... the emotional distress never really comes or even lingers around to haunt you; instead, one is just left to admire a stunningly breathtaking portrait of Italy and the humanity of its occupants. So, with all the elements here why doesn't it work?

A case could be made that Sorrentino has structured this picture in the wrong way for an audience to understand and appreciate fully. Sorrentino, due to the personal nature of this story, has knowledge and information that we don't, hence, creating the possibility that he is viewing a very different picture than the audience. For example, the first scene in "The Hand of God" doesn't focus on our Sorrentino stand in Fabietto but instead, on his future muse Patrizia. The issue with this is it's never established why Patrizia is important to the story, to Fabietto, and as an extension to us as the audience until three-quarters through the film but, by then it's far too late, and the emotional impact has missed its chance to resonate. This issue is present again with Fabietto's parents, where their emotional connection and purpose to Fabietto's journey isn't revealed until far past a crucial event in the story. Additionally, a scene near the latter half of the movie, where Fabietto meets his inspirational director, flat out doesn't work. The scene is unsuccessful for a multitude of reasons but primarily the emotional weight along with the litany of realizations that Fabietto is finally understanding, we as an audience are not experiencing in tandem.

Even with these problems, Sorrentino has not made a bad movie, in fact, quite far from it. This is an enjoyable watch and the audience has three things to thank for that: 1, Sorrentino's subtle technical prowess (props to Daria D'Antonio the cinematographer for her sweeping vistas along with sound mixer Emanuele Cecere and Sound Editor Silvia Moraes for transporting the audience to Italy), 2, incredibly natural and lived-in performances by the ensemble of actors (Filippo Scotti as Fabietto gives a coming of age performance for the books to rival Saoirse Ronan in "Lady Bird" or Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting" and Marlon Joubert as Marchino drips with physicality in a rare alluring way), 3, a script which although ordered wrong has humanity cracking through it in every line. Lastly, Sorrentino gives the audience a lot to chew on, even if it was delivered in a messy way, and the metaphor with the little monk alone is reason enough to check out Sorrentino's latest.

Complacency, self-indulgence and few nice scenes

[Ladiloque · 5/10 · 18 December 2021]

Watching anything by Sorrentino is a treat; but this isn't really that sweet or memorable as most of his other productions.

The series of dozens of small scenes and characters could both bring life to a story and allow for endless possibilities - but here we are rarely left wondering who these people are or what story hides behind the few minutes of their screen time. Mainly, these pieces feel disconnected from the rest, badly acted or inessential for the plot. Most of this might be good material for dozens of shorts, not for this movie.

Indeed lots (not all fortunately) of these scenes/characters/homages don't feel linked together (as in "Nashville", "Amarcord", "Once upon a time... in Hollywood", Kusturica or even "La grande bellezza" that now come to mind) and unintentionally feel like ruining the pace/unity of the film more than anything valuable they bring.

At his best this is a lesser Amarcord. The detached gaze of the historian documenting the life of a woman we found in "Roma", here becomes something that doesn't really achieve anything except over-indulgence towards oneself's feelings. Which aren't as powerful, poetic and well represented as those that Cuaron had for his nanny. It seems like Sorrentino didn't try to show us what he loved and why: he just showed his past expecting us to love it unconditionally.

Photography and scenography are exceptional as the director has got us used to and some scenes are incredibly elegant, powerful or funny. Still it feels like possibly the worst of his works: messy, overlong, complacent, apparently unable to cut what is unessential (which could have deserved a place of its own, just not in this movie).

Finally, Maradona had a more relevant place in "Youth" than here: we don't get why he is so important for the writer, the director, the main character, everyone involved and the city fo Naples. He's as inessential as most of the other stuff.

Pity.