The Best of Youth (La Meglio Gioventù) Review
By Joe Lozito
"Youth" and Consequences
I know it's a tough sell, but I can't stress this enough: the six-hours of director Marco Tullio Giordana's "
The Best of Youth" are time well spent. Like any masterpiece, this epic film feels at once sprawling and deeply personal. It's a love poem to Italy in all its wonders and faults.
The script by Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli rarely hits a false note as it follows the two Carati brothers, Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) and Matteo (Alessio Boni), from their freewheeling, pre-University days in late 60's Rome through almost forty years of their lives. Over time, the brothers travel throughout their country, allowing the writers to explore some of Italy's recent events. One elder statesman comments that the country is "full of dinosaurs" and should be destroyed. He encourages his young students to get out while the getting's good. When asked why he doesn't leave the country he says, "Because I'm one of the dinosaurs." At the same time the beauty and history of the country is celebrated, particularly in one heartbreaking journey through Florence after a disastrous flood.
But these political statements and events are all backdrop to the human story that propels the film. While the plot is too sprawling to cover here - and half the fun is discovering it for yourself anyway - the film is anchored in the performances of the two brothers. Mr. Boni, who comes across as a young Peter Weller, exudes a deep, troubled mind without chewing the scenery. And Mr. Lo Cascio's Nicola has a genuine warmth which makes it all the more heartbreaking when it's misplaced.
As time passes (both on screen and literally), you may ask yourself how it doesn't feel like a six-hour film. You can thank the script and Mr. Giordana sure-handed direction. Don't be put off by its length. Face it: you've spent a lot more of your time on films of a lot less quality. If it makes it more palatable for you, think of it this way: "Youth" was originally an Italian miniseries, so it can be watched in one or two hour increments at your discretion. So the next time you think about watching "America's Next Top Whatever" or "Extreme Ogling" pop in an hour of "The Best" instead.
