Exquisite and Mesmerising

Rating: 9/10 (10 February 2016)

Having sadly missed Great Beauty I was looking forward to seeing Youth, in the lovely setting of the Phoenix Picturehouse in Oxford - a cinema where you are not in an audience but amongst friends. I must admit to having a bit of a thing about "star" actors - I see them as a necessary evil for financing purposes and would dearly love to see a film with no well-known actors to mess with my preconceptions - give me a clean slate not one riddles with past images. Enough of the rant! All the acting here is absolutely first class - of course with such a director. But it is the mesmeric quality of this film that sets it amongst the greats. Like a book you can't put down, your eyes are locked on this film as it brings you surprise followed by glorious images then surprise then more glorious images. Coupled with really brilliant sound the senses are overwhelmed. The need for a complex plot does not get in the way of Youth - that really is secondary which is one of the reasons this is such a beautiful film. I've dropped one star because the cutting was a little smug at times, but otherwise this is top cinema.If you like violence and car chases stay away. If you want to be swept up in cinema magic, see it.