The Best of Youth
2003 · Movie · R · 367 min · ★ 8.0 · 92% critics
After a chance encounter in 1966, two brothers from a middle-class Roman family find their lives pulling in different directions. Over the following decades, their choices, relationships, and work repeatedly intersect with major moments in postwar Italian history, shaping both their family bonds and their sense of who they are.
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Details
- Original title
- La meglio gioventù
- Years
- 2003
- Release date
- 2003-06-22
- Network
- Rai 1
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 367 min
- Critic score
- 92/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.0/10 (608 votes)
- Box office
- $2,799,773
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a long, character-driven Italian family epic that mixes romance, politics, and everyday life across decades; Not for you if you dislike subtitles, slow builds, or six-hour runtimes.
Pros: sweeping multi-decade story; emotionally involving characters; strong sense of place | Cons: very long runtime; uneven, TV-like feel; some plotlines meander
Themes
- society
- loss of loved one
- sicily, italy
- political activism
- cultural revolution
- florence, italy
- turin
- brother against brother
- family reunion
- family conflict
- post world war ii
- years of lead
- +6 more
Awards & recognition
- David di Donatello — Best Film
- European Film Award — Best Director · 2003 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Actor · 2003 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Screenwriter · 2003 · nominated
- David di Donatello — Best Director · nominated
Cast & crew
Luigi Lo Cascio
as Nicola Carati
Alessio Boni
as Matteo Carati
Adriana Asti
as Adriana Carati
Sonia Bergamasco
as Giulia Monfalco
Fabrizio Gifuni
as Carlo Tommasi
Maya Sansa
as Mirella Utano
Valentina Carnelutti
as Francesca Carati
Jasmine Trinca
as Giorgia Esposti
Andrea Tidona
as Angelo Carati
Lidia Vitale
as Giovanna Carati
Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana