The Best of Youth

I watched The Best of Youth (on DVD) much in the same way as Italians did when it first premiered on Italian TV - over the course of four nights; like a great novel, you don't want to leave the characters, this world, but you want to savor it, leave a little more for the next night. It's a rare feeling, surpassed by very few other films or series in recent memory. And yet, you can very easily lose track of time passing while watching it, so transcendent is the flow of it all. The length of the film is one of its strengths, as it has the time to develop its many characters richly. Ultimately, it's one of the most beautiful and truly moving experiences I've ever had watching a film.

The trajectory of each of the main characters as they make their way through their adult lives is so psychologically astute that you will constantly forget they are fictional, so caught up in their world, their emotions, their growth.

One of the many magnificent achievements of The Best of Youth is how economical it is, even over the course of its epic six hour length - each scene is carefully chosen, each moment a part of the greater picture, each a revelation of character. The story also interlaces with Italian political history over the past few decades, student uprisings, political unrest, assasinations, corruption and - most distressingly - abuse within mental health care facilities. (The story of the young woman, Giorgia, whom Matteo and Nicola encounter after she's been in electric shock therapy and deeply scarred, is particularly touching.)

It also manages to sidestep the trap that often fells other films that try to cover the course of many years in characters' lives - using the same actors playing themselves young and as they age, but miraculously, their aging rarely feels contrived. They look natural, and more importantly, their psychological development is perfectly realized. But never mind all that while you're watching it - just let go.

As Nicola, Luigi Lo Cascio is startlingly good, natural, never appears to be acting. He carries the weight of this film and the plot - which occcasionally veers dangerously close to melodrama but never stops feeling real - on his shoulders, playing a character that is often passive yet reflects just enough change, especially by the end, that it's astoundingly moving. (Lo Cascio is also in La Bestia nel cuore - a.k.a., Don't Tell, along with his Best of Youth co-star Alessio Boni.)

Other random thoughts: I don't think I'll ever forget Maya Sansa's (Mirella) luminous smile; the film serves as an incredible travelogue for the Italian country, giving you a three-dimensional feel for each place (not to mention Norway, which also figures prominently in the film); the music score is lovely, even if a couple of the pieces are a little repetitive (how could they not be given the length of the film) - but the score always adds to a scene, doesn't detract.

By the end, as a character says, ultimately, "everything is beautiful."  Check all cynicism at the door and you will be transported.

Comments

[Edward Copeland]

I just finished watching Disc 1 of The Best of Youth, which I liked quite a bit. Who knows however when I'll receive Disc 2? It's No. 1 in my GreenCine queue, but when they got one disc back, they sent me something else next. I hope the long gap between seeing both halves won't hurt my assessment of the film.

[Norman]

“Best In Youth” serves to its audience, on the surface, as a characterization film. The film is done very realistically, and easily holds your interest for the entire 6 hours due to its natural flow and wonderful acting. But the film is much more than that. The characters in BIY represent everyone; that is, they are archetypes for all of us. We see that all walks of life are represented, from the insane to the supposed sane, the political to the ideal, the corrupt capitalist to the legitimate, etc. Yet all are equal--each has to face themselves and the reality of the human condition and human existence, and the result depends on their individual choices. That is, no one is better than the other: there is no absolute good, and there is no absolute sane. Each of us has potential for good and evil, strength and weakness, morality and immorality, and acting sane or acting crazy. You will see in the film the each character at some point will be called crazy, mad, and insane, and there will a point for everyone in the film where they have to look inside themselves, and the ones who do live the beautiful life.

The filmmaker goes further to tell us that, in fact, there is no clear line between things we as a society have thought to have made clear, such as the boundaries between crazy/not crazy, immoral/moral, male friendship/homosexuality, love/perversion, unethical/ethical business practices, curing/torturing, doctor/patient, good parenting/bad parenting, passion to make changes/accepting status quo, etc. These lines have been drawn artificially by the society of the time and, as we often see, eventually change. For example, from 1950 to 1980 there is a societal shift between seeing the mentally ill as animals to be treated as such, and seeing them as patients that need help to get better. And where is the clear line of insanity? Georgia, the supposed insane one, is the one who is able to see deep inside Nicola’s soul--ultimately getting him to look within himself—and by the end is the one who will be living a "normal" life in the same society that not so long ago rejected her. Matteo, on the other hand, the “normal” handsome straight A student, is the one who actually commits suicide. The man who is being tried for accepting kickbacks is considered immoral and a criminal, yet the government of the same country criminalizing him take bribes regularly. Gillia leaves her husband and daughter, outrageous for any parent to do, and is a terrorist, but her cause is one for the poor.

Best In Youth shows that we as humans don't truly understand ourselves. We think we can control everything, as Matteo tried to do, but there is always some lifeforce beyond our control and understanding that affect our lives. Matteo could not control his dark desires and his need to love and be loved, resulting in his death. Yet, he leaves for the world two gifts, one is his son (which we see completes the cycle of Nicola's journey in Norway), and one is convincing Gilia to leave the institution whiich ultimately saves her life. Strange lifeforces indeed. In the end, we learn from the film that we know so little of ourselves and life, and need to even go back to Greek Mythology to gain understanding. But nothing in life is wasting; everything has meaning and purpose, and therefore everything is beautiful.

I particularly agree with the above comment that every scene from the film is carefully selected, each building upon the other one. Like a great novel, each scene, even those that may appear somewhat conventional or seemly unrealistic, has meaning. The scene where Gillia leaves Nicola shows a contrast of blue and red. Blue represents Nicola: strong, patient, kind, non-judgemental, ideal, while red represents Gillia's anger at the world (and herself we will later see), and the danger in her political plans. Unlike Nicola, she is looking outward for morality, structure and meaning and is afraid to look within herself and open up emotionally to herself and the world. She is afraid to be vulnerable, which will lead to either a life of death (like Matteo's mom before she came around to see her grandson), or death itself (Matteo's suicide). The scene where Nicola goes to the photo gallery to see Matteo's picture is set up like a graveyard or tomb: underground, gray and black, people dressed in black, people walking picture to picture and staring (like walking to graves and reading the tombstones). We are taken into the soul of Nicola. When he sees Matteo's picture and smiles, it is because it is the first time he understands Matteo's struggle and, moreover, the first time he looks within himself. The struggle is to want to love but to be tempted to commit to or give in to the bad things that can happen in life. The fingers cover the eyes, which is to the soul, because not all of us want to face our dark sides and be vulnerable to the world. It is a dangerous trip, but a meaningful one. Or how about the scene involving Matteo and the transsexual prostitute? We perceive that Matteo may have a sicker past than expected, but we also see his warped perception of love--taking a necklace from a transsexual prostitute to give to the girl he cares about. We also notice the strange line between sex, love, male friendship, and homosexuality (also shown with the friendships between Nicola and his friends). One last example of a mise-e-scene is the scene where Georgia leaves the institution for the second time. Dark and mysterious is the expressive world according to Georgia's perception, and the train a temptation to live independently and free of her past, to follow her own journey, but one too dangerous for her to take for the time being.

The characters in Best in Youth teach us something: that only through a deep examination of ourselves can we learn to love, live happy, and see life as beautiful. We have to grow our beards, so-to-speak, and look inside, not outside, for the answers. We are all alike, and instead of trying to control everything, we need to except all sides of ourselves, and have the strength to choose the right path.

[Craig P]

Really beautifully said, Norman. Thanks so much for your contribution here. Makes me want to now go and watch the movie all over again - which I will!

CP

[Sean Ward]

Does anybody know what is the connection between Matteo and the girl in the asylum, Georgea, in the beginning of the movie? I believe she has something strongly to do with Matteo being so morose and ultimately suicidal. How do they know each other and why was he so passionate about getting her out of that hospital?

Any insights?

Thanks!

[לפרטים נוספים]

The tale also interlaces with Italian language governmental history over the past few generations, student uprisings, governmental unrest, assassinations, data corruption and most distressingly neglect within psychological medical features.