REVIEWED - THE BEST OF YOUTH (LA MEGLIO GIOVENTÙ): However daunting its epic running time may appear, audiences with any sense of adventure will be abundantly rewarded by immersing themselves in The Best of Youth, writes Michael Dwyer
This magisterial Italian film is showing here in two parts over a staggered schedule, but for maximum impact, it ought to be viewed as a whole, albeit with a short interval. When I first saw it, at the Toronto Film Festival last year, I was so seduced by the first part that I could hardly wait for the 20-minute break to be over so I could get caught up again in the enthralling saga it relates.
This powerful drama follows an Italian family, the Caratis, from the summer of 1966 to the spring of 2003. The focus is on two brothers (indelibly portrayed by Alessio Boni and Luigi lo Cascio in marvellous, riveting performances) who, at the outset, are carefree students for whom life holds a wealth of opportunities. The dramatic unfolding of events chart the highs and lows in their lives - hopes, pleasures, fears, disappointments and complications - as they take on the responsibilities of adulthood.
Their experiences are set against decades of turbulent change, encompassing the flooding of Florence in 1966, the terrorist activity and industrial unrest in Italy during the 1970s, the exposure of appalling scandals in state mental institutions, Sicily's struggle against the Mafia, the equivocal attitude of Italian politicians to corruption, and several key World Cup games for the national team.
The period detail is precisely achieved in every respect, and enhanced by making unexpectedly potent use of rock music from the era - even Queen's once innocuous Who Wants to Live Forever takes on a thrilling resonance in the context.
The film's triumph lies in its abiding humanity and in the exemplary skill with which it deals with the intimate and personal while simultaneously addressing momentous themes of national identity, political upheaval and the inevitability of mortality.
The consequences are deeply emotional, dramatically startling at times, and even devastating, and invite favourable comparisons with the sweeping epic film-making of The Godfather, Heimat and Berlin Alexanderplatz.
The Best of Youth is a rare and truly exhilarating cinema experience, and one of the first great achievements in 21st-century world cinema. It is, I believe, a masterpiece.
