The Best of Youth (La meglio gioventù) (2005)

95% of critics liked it
(62 reviews)
97% of users liked it
(7,106 ratings)

Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana and La Meglio Gioventu, this film chronicles the youth, emotional development, and milestone events in the lives of brothers Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio and Matteo Carti (Alessio Boni) between 1966 and the early 2000s. Despite being polar opposites -- Nicola is a free… More Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana and La Meglio Gioventu, this film chronicles the youth, emotional development, and milestone events in the lives of brothers Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio and Matteo Carti (Alessio Boni) between 1966 and the early 2000s. Despite being polar opposites -- Nicola is a free spirited, romantic psychiatrist; Matteo is an angst-ridden idealist and member of the Italian police force -- the brothers stay connected through the nature of life, family, and time, even during their long periods of separation from one another. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 5 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Marco Tullio Giordana
Written By: Stefano Rulli, Sandro Petraglia
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Jun 22, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Feb 7, 2006
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Unfolds like a novel full of characters we can't help but care about.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
When the movie concludes, you can talk about these characters as if you actually know them -- which won't be far from the truth.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Few films have ever made better use of combining social and political history with romantic melodrama and suspense.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Its point is this: That every nation, like a family, is made up of many people who are often at odds with one another, but that ultimately, we are all one.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
A family that seems as real as your own relatives.
John Terauds, Toronto Star
Despite many charming elements, this movie is not an example of good storytelling.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
Revealing too much of the narrative would spoil the pleasure of learning where Matteo and Nicola find themselves. "Youth" sells us on the idea that life is a gift and that beauty and rejuvenation can come from even seemingly unbearable lows.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
You weep, laugh, celebrate and mourn with the characters throughout the six hours, which at once seem like an eternity and an instant.
Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
An astonishing, deeply engrossing Italian family saga that happens to be six hours long.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
I can imagine myself coming back to it year after year, to check in on my favorite characters
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The Best of Youth is no masterpiece, but it has enough truthful, moving moments to make it worthwhile.
Andrew Wright, The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Works in the engrossing fashion of a good pulpy novel ... using whiskery melodramatic staples to digress into a whole slew of differing scenarios and moods.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
a touchstone of Italian cinema
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
a story that's less like fiction and more like the way that families (and countries) actually age.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
This epic elegy to family and country is a towering work of narrative fiction.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
With the six-hour running time, Giordana gets the space to let the characters live and let their shared story unfold like a good novel.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

familiar s

When I stumbled upon this movie, its length amazed me. But more than that I was amazed by its viewers' (and critics) rating. Although it didn't belong to my favorite genre, I decided to give it a go. A few people might exaggerate (or overrate the movie), but if so many… More
When I stumbled upon this movie, its length amazed me. But more than that I was amazed by its viewers' (and critics) rating. Although it didn't belong to my favorite genre, I decided to give it a go. A few people might exaggerate (or overrate the movie), but if so many people liked it despite of its lengthy runtime, it surely would be worth checking out. Needless to say, I fell for it. No sooner did the movie begin, I found myself reasonably immersed in it. The first part went off quite smoothly (not flawlessly, though). The second part was a drag, and most of it was unnecessary IMO. And I'd have liked it better if the actors playing Matteo and Nicola had swapped their roles. Well, all things considered, it was an alright experience.
Stefanie C

Inspired by a Pasolini poetry collection, this is a stunning cinematic opus spanning 40 years in the Carati family. Italian culture, North and South, is explored through personal and political landscapes. This film notes the resurgence of Italian cinema, which was so often… More
Inspired by a Pasolini poetry collection, this is a stunning cinematic opus spanning 40 years in the Carati family. Italian culture, North and South, is explored through personal and political landscapes. This film notes the resurgence of Italian cinema, which was so often criticized in the eighties. As with the best films, you will laugh and cry, as you identify with the emotions and experiences. An engaging and enriching film not to be missed!
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"The Best of Youth" starts in 1966 as brothers Nicola(Luigi Lo Cascio) and Matteo(Alessio Boni) are about to go on summer vacation with friends to Norway. Nicola aces his tests but Matteo botches his entrance exams by antagonizing the professor. Just… More
[font=Century Gothic]"The Best of Youth" starts in 1966 as brothers Nicola(Luigi Lo Cascio) and Matteo(Alessio Boni) are about to go on summer vacation with friends to Norway. Nicola aces his tests but Matteo botches his entrance exams by antagonizing the professor. Just before they are about to depart, Matteo with little planning, liberates a young mental patient, Giorgia(Jasmine Trinca), from where he had been working because she had been receiving inhumane electroshock therapy. The brothers plan on returning her to her village but nothing quite goes to plan and Giorgia is detained by soldiers. Afterwards, Nicola continues north while Matteo returns to join the army...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Best of Youth" is a respectable but flawed Italian miniseries about the Carati family, starting in 1966 and moving forward to the present day, focusing on the two brothers. But it is disappointing that we never get a clear idea as to what Matteo is thinking.(There are also two sisters who are only shown when convenient.) The miniseries is better in its second half where it almost achieves a rare moment of transcendence, but instead slips badly. [/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]The miniseries is also concerned with the recent history of modern Italy and it is here that the miniseries occasionally falls prey to cliche by focusing on notable historical events, including the Red Brigades(I know they were terrorists but what did they believe?) and the mafia in Sicily. The truth about ordinary people is that they usually exist well outside of events that affect society.[/font]
Joey N

OK, so anyone will tell you it's 6 hours long and in Italian. But this a rich film and is only dry in a couple of spots. I love the culture, and you feel like you know these characters. They feel like family. I laughed, I cried, I thought, I pondered, and I mourned. Oh, I… More
OK, so anyone will tell you it's 6 hours long and in Italian. But this a rich film and is only dry in a couple of spots. I love the culture, and you feel like you know these characters. They feel like family. I laughed, I cried, I thought, I pondered, and I mourned. Oh, I guess I should mention some plot. It follows the lives of two brothers, Nicola and Matteo and their shared and seperate families. There's also alot of Italian history I'm unfamiliar with here. I won't soon forget this film. It stays with you.
Erin C

So good! I was a little weary because it is 6 hours long, but it really didn't feel like it. One of the best movies I've seen.
alan j

Highly enjoyable, engrossing, beautiful and long (6 hours +) drama that will definitely hold your interest. Think Coppola or Scorcese, all the drama with very little violence. A human interest story about 2 brothers, their family, and their life encounters over the next 25 years. I… More
Highly enjoyable, engrossing, beautiful and long (6 hours +) drama that will definitely hold your interest. Think Coppola or Scorcese, all the drama with very little violence. A human interest story about 2 brothers, their family, and their life encounters over the next 25 years. I particularly found the Giorgia character unforgettable and the scene with Matteo bringing together his brother and soon to be wife together on the walking path a very poignant moment. A very rich and moving story you won't soon forget.