Optimism, wits, and a bit of luck go a long way

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2014)

The story is magnificent and remarkable. The first half shows us a funny part of Guido's story, already a highly witted person with no shortage of optimism, in getting by his life and reaching for his love Dora. The second half displays how Guido, now a father, shields his son from the grieve of a concentration camp, all while always incorporating his wits to get by things, his optimism and enthusiasm to get by with his son's curiosity, and having a fair share of luck that eventually saves his son's life. I rarely see such a movie that can turn its mood from the happy tone into one of a sad tone so drastically, yet the happiness is still there even in the sad moments. The background is of course the classic and usual set of World War II's Europe, but again the developed story takes us to see the war from a very touching angle. Of course there are pot holes and things that don't really make sense, But the story itself is so touching that it belittles the shortcomings. Benigni, Braschi, and even the little Cantarini act well and can make us us fell the mood of the movie and connect to it.