89 of 1001 Movies: The Best of Youth (2003)

The Best of Youth is one of the most powerful, and beautiful movies there is. After watching it I instantly wanted to replay the movie again, and that has never happened before. What makes it so amazing is that the characters are so real and complex. While it has it's share of sorrow and happiness it just feels alive. Marco Tullio Giordana brings together a movie that is worth amount of time you'll spend watching it. The plot evolves with time, and ultimately feels a lot like life.

Matteo and Nicola are two brothers who are leaving school, and have plans to set out on a journey together. Matteo has been meeting with a woman in an asylum, Giorgia, and also decides to help her try to live a life outside of it's wall. When this journey falls apart it drastically changes the course of their lives. Matteo joins the army, and Nicola ends up going into psychiatry to correct the abuse happening against the mentally ill. This puts them on different sides of the spectrum in their approach to life, but both still feel passionate about their cause. By the end you've traveled from Italy 1960 to the 2000s, and watched the journey of both make a circle showing their fate.


Honestly, since the plot varies between the two brothers you couldn't really summarize the whole thing without giving it away. What captures you though is how well developed the characters are, and maybe it's because of the room they are given to grow, but having watched other lengthy movies there is just something about this one that makes it a tad different. The acting is amazingly well done by the cast, and even when they have good moments you feel like crying with them, and during the bad you're just shocked because you feel like you've lost someone you've known.

Matteo and Nicola are very different as brothers, and they reflect well how two men can grow up in the same home environment, but turn out very differently. They both care about their families, but how they treat them is vastly different. Matteo is odd, and that is established early on in the movie. We never exactly pen what it is that makes him odd, but even his mother acknowledges she didn't raise him in the way that he needed to be in contrast to how she raised his siblings. Nicola is different, but there is something about their nature that makes them work as brothers. Nicola seems more traditional, and yet a little bit more free. He fights for others rights, and takes pride in his family.

Italian movies overall have a different vibe. They are very family oriented, and just seem rich in character-driven stories. They are also really difficult to pause when you need a break. Even though you are aware you can't sit straight through this whole movie you will be tempted to, and while away from it you will constantly be wandering about the characters and what the outcome of their lives will be.

The Best of Youth is a strong movie all around. It's well-written, has strong acting, beautiful scenery, and the Italian language in itself is just beautiful to listen to. It's one of the more beautiful languages there is, and hearing it spoken is as pleasant as the story itself. The story also tackles some very deep issues that feel real, and the movie gets dark in the moments you least think something will show up to ruin the moments that seem to be happier ones. It ties in history through these characters and it is so well done.

Rating 10 of 10.