Youth. A film by Paolo Sorrentino.

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2016)

I should explain to you what Youth is about, but the less you know about it, the better. That is even if you want to see it. It is about a retired classical music composer played by Michael Caine who is vacationing in the Swiss Alps at a luxury resort with his longtime friend, who is a filmmaker played by Harvey Keitel. They are both wonderful and although there is a lot of separate screen time of the two, the film is about as much as Fred (Caine) as it is about Mick (Keitel). The story of Fred's daughter who is married to Mick's son is also explored. Throughout this beautifully captured film are the involving stories. The poster image for this is in the movie and to me, it is such an intense scene. I almost had to cover my eyes! I'm not going to give away much else other than that. It goes beyond much more. The supporting cast is wonderfully played by Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano. There is a standout performance by Jane Fonda who shows up only towards the end. It is not what I expected, if there were any expectations at all. I have seen the trailer before, and although to me it is misleading, it was not so in a disappointing way. Not at all. Some of the best films come at a surprise. This one came from out of nowhere for me! The direction and cinematography are brilliant! The style of the film somewhat reminded me of last year's Academy Award Winning Birdman, but it further reminded me of Terence Malick's films. If you've seen one of them, you'll know what I am talking about. It is absolutely stunning. It is directed beautifully by Paolo Sorrentino, who also directed a film from two years ago called The Great Beauty. I haven't seen that one yet. It is refreshing that he does not shy away from nudity, which there is a lot of in this film. Some may be put off by that, but I thought it was tastefully done. What an outstanding film. A+ all the way. Should be up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but that probably won't happen.