Sorrentino shines again

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2016)

Paolo Sorrentino continues to create exquisite works of art, and Youth is his latest offering. Retired orchestra conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) and over-the-hill film director Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel) vacation to a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps, where they postulate love and loves lost. The scenery is charming and the camera-work skilled. The supporting performances are strong, especially that of Paul Dano, who is putting a nice little career together.
The dialogue, primarily self-indulgent male existential crisis, regret, missed sexual exploits, and cultural critique, is both serious and satire. Softly floating around the edges of life's larger questions, it finds comfort in the minutiae, imparting wisdom gently without taking itself too seriously. Youth is an honest portrayal of how shallow and simple man is, regardless of station, exposing his insecurities and shortfalls in a funny, intelligent, and beautiful way.