Great Moments From Cinema - 4

The Very Best Of Life
Movie: The Best Of Youth (Italy) (BiBiFilm and Rai Cinemafiction; 2003)
Director: Marco Tullio Giordana
Screenplay: Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli
Major Cast: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, and Jasmine Trinca

Film Synopsis: Encompassing four decades from the 60’s to the present, the movie follows two brothers, ‘Nicola’ played by Cascio and ‘Matteo’ played by Boni and the people who come in and out of their lives; while taking a look at the changes occurring in rural and urban Italy.

My Favorite Moment: A young ‘Matteo’ and ‘Giorgia’ (Trinca) staring at each other while the jukebox plays a song.

Why I Like It: Oh, this is a wonderful movie. It’s an enriching experience and almost a privilege to be a part of these character’s lives. It is also impossible to single out just one great scene from the film. It is one of those movies that do not need a specific moment which is going to make people remember it with fondness. It’s the sum of whole parts which is going to make it a classic over the years. It runs for 366 minutes, but if there ever was a film where the time spent was worth its weight in gold, then this is it. At no point do we need to look at our watch and in the end, I was desperately left wishing for another 6 hours and beyond. The movie is that good. In fact, it is better than anybody’s highest expectation.

The film opens in the early 60’s, with the two brothers and their friends preparing to take a trip from Rome towards Norway and eventually the cape. ‘Nicola’ is a free spirit who is studying medicine whereas ‘Matteo’ is a brilliant and intense young man, keeping his own counsel and somehow seems dissatisfied with himself. During his volunteer work at a mental clinic, he meets the lovely ‘Giorgia’ who is being abused by shock therapy. He sneaks her out and along with ‘Nicola’ tries to take her to her father’s town. She is mentally scarred, rarely speaks and has enormous anger towards everyone, even lashing out at the brothers. One day in a café, ‘Matteo’ sees a juke box and asks her for a favorite song. As he plays it, they both look at each other. No words are said and the director holds the close shot for a long time. In that moment, both of these troubled minds communicate, many things being said through their eyes. Perhaps the feelings are romantic, but their look forms a bond which would go on to affect the rest of their lives. Later, ‘Giorgia’ is captured by police, which causes the brothers a lot of anguish and leads them to choose their respective paths in the future. In the next few decades, people will come in their lives and some of them will leave. But their relationships with them mould their character in some form or another. It is their journey towards self-discovery which is both hopeful and tragic at times.

The script spends time in outstanding character development, thus making all the people in this movie unforgettable. There is none better than ‘Nicola’, who is the glue which holds everyone together, sacrificing his own happiness at times. Not since Setsuko Hara in Ozu’s “Tokyo Story” has any character been so endearing and nice. I always think that I may never see a movie which is visually more spectacular than “The Lord Of The Rings” or emotionally more satisfying than “City Lights”. I know for sure that I will never see a movie which will make me care about each and every character in it as “The Best Of Youth”. I can personally guarantee that anyone who gives 6 hours of their time to this film will be rewarded for a lifetime. And when they see a badly made movie which makes them despair for the state of cinema, all they have to do is remember that there are filmmaker’s around the world who are capable of gems like this.