P
aolo Sorrentino has followed up the grandeur of La grande bellezza with a far more simplistic yet rewarding effort. Youth or La giovinezza is his second film in the English language coming across much better than 2011’s cold and inconsistent This Must Be the Place largely thanks to a more precise and mature narrative. However, my reaction to Youth is more important than just a warm reception of another gratifying picture from the Italian director.
For me, Youth is triumphant largely because it is the film that finally convinced me of Sorrentino’s brilliance. I loved his second feature Le conseguenze dell’amore as well as the aforementioned La grande bellezza but felt dissatisfied with the rest of his work, although Il divo had its moments. Moreover, as a renowned modern Italian filmmaker, Sorrentino has too long inhabited the long shadow Fellini has cast over the country’s cinema, at least in the mind of critics, and La grande bellezza was fantastic but seemed to regress by deliberately drawing its own comparisons to La dolce vita. I shall therefore not discuss Fellini’s Prova d’orchestra in relation to Youth since he has finally proved his own quality.
Youth recounts the story of retired composer and orchestra conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) who is requested and subsequently refuses to perform his famous ‘Simple Songs’ for the Queen. He is staying at a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps and we follow his relationships with an aging film director (Harvey Keitel), a young star actor (Paul Dano) and his daughter (Rachel Weisz). The narrative is straightforward and well written, but tackles heavy themes with grace and a sincerity that Sorrentino’s witty aphoristic dialogue doesn’t usually afford itself.
Youth is up there with Sorrentino’s best work
Some sections of symbolism and expressionistic detail work better than others and don’t detract from the film’s relatively pared down direction which focuses on the performances. Luca Bigazzi’s photography is gorgeous as usual, but again showed a surprising amount of restraint when held up against his previous Steadicam theatrics. It balances the sweeping sublime vistas that face Boyle’s (Keitel) writing team with the contours of the actors’ faces. This is all the more highlighted by the fact that the performances are really quite brilliant with Caine in career-best form (he himself has said it is one of his best performances) and Keitel and Dano standing out nicely as well as a spirited but short lived turn from Jane Fonda.
Youth is up there with Sorrentino’s best work and shows real promise in what he might go on to do in the future. It is a precise and pensive rumination on the inevitable loss of youth and aging process, as well as artistic legacy, memory, and simple happiness. It may not get as much publicity as the wave of Indiewood awards movies that are currently in cinemas, but Youth is measured, elegant and more deserving of your attention.
