The Best of Youth
The Best of Youth (Italian: La meglio gioventù) is a 2003 Italian historical drama film directed by Marco Tullio Giordana and written by Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli. A family saga set in Italy from 1966 through 2003, it chronicles the life of the middle-class Carati family, focusing primarily on brothers Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) and Matteo (Alessio Boni), as their life paths separate during youth and they experience major political and social events in Italian post-WWII history.
The Best of Youth | |
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![]() Italian theatrical release poster | |
Italian | La meglio gioventù |
Directed by | Marco Tullio Giordana |
Produced by | Angelo Barbagallo |
Screenplay by |
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Story by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Roberto Forza |
Edited by | Roberto Missiroli |
Production company | |
Distributed by | 01 Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 366 minutes (theatrical version) 400 minutes (TV version) |
Country | Italy |
Language | Italian |
Box office | $2.7 million[1] |
Originally conceived as a Rai television miniseries, it premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prize Un Certain Regard. It was then given a theatrical release in Italy as two 3-hour films (titled Act I and Act II), before being aired on national broadcaster Rai 1 in a 40 minutes longer four-episode television version later that year. In the U.S., the film was released by Miramax in its theatrical version.
Giordana, who directed a film about the death of author and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, borrowed the title of the film from Pasolini's 1954 poetry collection of the same name.[2] According to film critic Peter Bradshaw, the film falls within the tradition of several films that cover expansive times of Italian history through the story of one family, such as Rocco and His Brothers and The Leopard.[3]
Plot
Summer 1966
Two brothers go their separate ways after attempting to rescue a young girl, Giorgia (Jasmine Trinca), from an abusive sanitarium. The brothers are Matteo and Nicola Carati (Alessio Boni and Luigi Lo Cascio). Their parents are Angelo (Andrea Tidona) and Adriana (Adriana Asti), their older sister is Giovanna (Lidia Vitale), and their younger sister is Francesca (Valentina Carnelutti). Their friends, their lovers and others drift through, including Giorgia who struggles with mental issues, but whose life seems to follow in parallel.
Matteo walks out of his first exam, while Nicola qualifies as a doctor (and will pursue a career in psychiatry). Matteo takes mental patients for walks to help them begin to feel normal and takes a particular interest in his patient Giorgia. Noticing that Giorgia has been wounded by electroshock therapy, he decides to remove her from the institution and take her along with him and Nicola—who are about to go on a trip to Norway.
Eventually, Giorgia is captured by the police and taken back to the asylum. Matteo, filled with sadness and depression, returns to Rome and joins the army. Nicola continues to Norway and gets a job as a lumberjack. The brothers meet again in Florence just after the 1966 Arno River flood. Here, Nicola meets a university student, Giulia (Sonia Bergamasco).
February 1968
Nicola and Giulia are living together in Turin, but the two do not marry.
1974
Matteo leaves the army and joins the police force. During this time, Matteo shows signs of continuing depression and anger. He accepts an assignment in Sicily, a place corrupted by the Mafia. Meanwhile, Nicola and Giulia conceive and care for Sara, their daughter.
1977
In Sicily, Matteo meets a photographer in a caffè named Mirella (Maya Sansa). She wants to be a librarian, and he advises her to work at a beautiful library in Rome.
Because of his temper, Matteo is forced to leave Sicily. He decides to reside in Rome but refuses to visit his mother.
Meanwhile, Nicola becomes a psychiatrist, and works to eliminate the abuse and maltreatment of patients in mental hospitals. He finds Giorgia in one of these hospitals. She is tied to a bed in inhumane conditions, does not talk, and shows fear of being touched by others. After some time, Giulia gets drawn into a secret Red Brigades cell. One night, she leaves Nicola and Sara and disappears into the terrorist underground.
1983
Years later Matteo walks into that same library and sees Mirella for the second time. They fall in love, and one evening, make love in a car. Eventually he pushes her away.
December 1983
Mirella meets with Matteo with news for him, but he behaves harshly and forces her to leave. On New Year's Eve, Matteo decides to finally visit his mother. Everyone is there to celebrate. Instead of waiting for the traditional toasts, however, Matteo decides to leave early and, at midnight, jumps off the balcony of his apartment and kills himself.
The family is devastated by the tragedy. No longer motivated, Nicola's mother quits her teaching job and lives a life in solitude in Rome. Nicola, feeling that he could have saved Matteo and not wanting to make the same mistake again, arranges for the capture of Giulia to prevent her from killing someone else or from getting killed. She is sentenced to 17 years in jail. During her jail term, Nicola visits Giulia and proposes to her but is rejected.
Spring 1992
Nicola finds a photograph of Matteo taken by Mirella. He is encouraged by Giorgia to meet with Mirella which, after some hesitation, he agrees to do. When he meets Mirella, Nicola learns about her son (Andrea) and that Matteo was the father. Nicola breaks this exciting news to his mother and they visit Mirella and the boy on the small island of Stromboli. Inspired by new meaning in her life, Nicola's mother decides to stay with Mirella and her grandson.
Meanwhile, Sara, now in her early twenties, is still struggling with the poor choices her mother has made. She decides to move to Rome to study art conservation and becomes engaged to Mimmo. During this time, Nicola finds out his mother has died and, as a result, travels to Stromboli to visit Mirella and pay his respects.
Spring 2000
Having finally moved past the death of Matteo, Nicola and Mirella fall in love. Sara, now happy and strong, is encouraged by Nicola to confront her mother and try to patch things up. Giulia, now out of jail and in desperate need of love, embraces Sara, but is not ready to open up completely.
2003
The film ends with Matteo's son, Andrea, visiting Norway, specifically North Cape, which is where his father and Nicola ventured to go at the beginning of the movie, but never completed their journey.
Cast
- Luigi Lo Cascio as Nicola Carati
- Alessio Boni as Matteo Carati
- Adriana Asti as Adriana Carati
- Sonia Bergamasco as Giulia Monfalco
- Fabrizio Gifuni as Carlo Tommasi
- Maya Sansa as Mirella Utano
- Valentina Carnelutti as Francesca Carati
- Nila Carnelutti as Francesca Carati at 8
- Jasmine Trinca as Giorgia
- Andrea Tidona as Angelo Carati
- Lidia Vitale as Giovanna Carati
- Claudio Gioè as Vitale Micavi
- Paolo Bonanni as Luigino
- Giovanni Scifoni as Berto
- Riccardo Scamarcio as Andrea Utano
- Francesco La Macchia as Andrea Utano at 6
- Camilla Filippi as Sara Carati
- Greta Cavuoti as Sara Carati at 8
- Sara Pavoncello as Sara Carati at 5
- Mario Schiano as Medicine Professor
- Michele Melega as Literature Professor
- Therese Vadem as Therese
- Stefano Abbati as Pusher
- Giovanni Martorana as Maghrebi
- Paolo De Vita as Don Vito
- Mimmo Mignemi as Giorgia's Father
- Domenico Centamore as Officer Enzo
- Pippo Montalbano as Police Chief in Palermo
- Gaspare Cucinella as Sicilian Peasant
- Dario Veca as Butcher
- Nicola Vigilante as Nurse
- Marcello Prayer as Second Lieutenant
- Walter Da Pozzo as Officer Mario
- Krum De Nicola as Brigo
- Maurizio Di Carmine as Terrorist
- Roberto Accornero as President of the Court in Turin
- Fabio Camilli as Tangentopoli inmate
- Antonello Puglisi as Priest in Palermo
- Patrizia Punzo as Gallery Manager
- Emilia Marra as Doctor
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics | 12 January 2004 | Grand Prix | The Best of Youth | Won | [4] |
Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2003 | Un Certain Regard Award | Won | [5] | |
César Awards | 21 February 2004 | Best Film from the EU | Nominated | ||
David di Donatello Awards | 14 April 2004 | Best Film | Won | ||
Best Director | Marco Tullio Giordana | Won | |||
Best Actor | Luigi Lo Cascio | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Fabrizio Gifuni | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Jasmine Trinca | Nominated | |||
Best Producer | Angelo Barbagallo | Won | |||
Best Screenplay | Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli | Won | |||
Best Editing | Roberto Missiroli | Won | |||
Best Sets and Decorations | Franco Ceraolo | Nominated | |||
Best Costumes | Elisabetta Montaldo | Nominated | |||
Best Sound | Fulgenzio Ceccon | Won | |||
European Film Awards | 6 December 2003 | Best Director | Marco Tullio Giordana | Nominated | |
Best Actor | Luigi Lo Cascio | Nominated | |||
Best Screenwriter | Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli | Nominated | |||
Film Fest Gent | 18 October 2003 | Grand Prix | The Best of Youth | Nominated | |
Globo d'Oro Awards | 3 July 2004 | Best Film | Nominated | ||
Best Director | Marco Tullio Giordana | Won | |||
Best Actor | Luigi Lo Cascio | Nominated | |||
Best Actress | Sonia Bergamasco | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli | Won | |||
Special Jury Award | Adriana Asti | Won | |||
Nastro d'Argento Awards | 19 June 2004 | Best Director | Marco Tullio Giordana | Won | |
Best Producer | Angelo Barbagallo | Won | |||
Best Actor | Alessio Boni Fabrizio Gifuni Luigi Lo Cascio Andrea Tidona |
Won | |||
Best Actress | Adriana Asti Sonia Bergamasco Maya Sansa Jasmine Trinca |
Won | |||
Best Screenplay | Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli | Won | |||
Best Editing | Roberto Missiroli | Won | |||
Best Costume Design | Elisabetta Montaldo | Nominated | |||
Best Sound | Fulgenzio Ceccon | Won | |||
National Board of Review Awards | 3 December 2003 | Top Ten Foreign Films | The Best of Youth | Won | [6] |
Palm Springs International Film Festival | 19 January 2004 | Audience Award (Best Narrative Feature) |
Won | ||
Rotterdam International Film Festival | 1 February 2004 | KPN Audience Award | Won | [7] | |
Seattle International Film Festival | 30 June 2004 | Best Director | Marco Tullio Giordana | Won |
See also
- List of longest films by running time
References
- "The Best of Youth (2005) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
- Mark Kermode (4 July 2004). "The Best of Youth". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- Peter Bradshaw (2 July 2004). "The Best of Youth". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- Pluijgers, Jean-François (January 12, 2004). "L'UCC s'offre une cure de "Gioventu"". La Libre Belgique (in French). Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- "Festival de Cannes: The Best of Youth". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
- "National Board of Review of Motion Pictures :: Awards for 2003".
- "Awards 2004". iffr.com.
Further reading
- Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli (2004). La meglio gioventù, un film di Marco Tullio Giordana, Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana. ISBN 88-397-1269-0
- "Best of Youth Pressbook" (PDF). public.asu.