The future by Sorrentino

Rating: 7/10 (21 September 2015)

Not an easy task for Paolo Sorrentino to come back 2 years after "La Grande Bellezza" worldwide success. True, we shall not be comparing the two movies but unfortunately this is an easy trap to fall in. Straight to the point: "La Giovinezza" is a good movie but not fully convincing. Sorrentino and Bigazzi's cinematography does not convince (Rome's natural set design is not there this time to "simplify" the job), the different supporting characters are not always functional to the story (the extremely annoying group of young screenwriters, for instance), the soundtrack is not effective as the Italian director accustomed us. On the other hand, in every scene we have Sorrentino's signature behind it (the movement of camera, the cinematic creations, etc.) and this is pure pleasure for his fans. Michale Caine offers an outstanding performance (the music director Fred Ballinger,a role that deserves an award) which alone is worth the price of the ticket. Brilliant is Maradona's alter ego and a strong performance is delivered by Rachel Weisz (Ballinger's daughter). But the relationship between the old friends Michale Caine and Harvey Keitel stands above all: a relationship so beautifully depicted which provokes a strong emotion in the viewer (emotionremember about this word) So what is the movie about? Like for every Sorrentino's movie, interpretations are multiple. "Youth" mainly talks about the future and how we look at the future; and it does it from the heart yet without falling into sentimentalism. A couple of hours at the movie theater for Sorrentino's works are always well invested time; just beware of few drawbacks here and there.