Youth (2015)

I wanted to close the year with something a bit better than the disappointing of last time. So, between two cooking rounds, I decided to try a short entry for "Youth", although it probably deserves a more detailed review than the previous one. Who has seen "Il Divo" and "La Grande Bellezza" probably knows already the directing and writing style of Paolo Sorentino. For who didn't see "Il Divo" and "La Grande Bellezza" what I can summarize in two words is: chillout movie. Probably this doesn't cover all that should be covered = the drama part, the reflections over life part, the bitter comedy, and all else you can find in the two movies and even more in "Youth". But I think "chillout movie" catches the essential regarding the mood state where this movie fits. It's slowly advancing, and it might awake some strong feelings on the way, but nothing suddenly. It does it gradually, until the end credits roll over.

Technically, "Youth" is a remarkable achievement. I cannot tell how it is overall compared with "La Grande Bellezza", but for camera work what we have here is clearly better (and it wasn't bad in the other place either). There are many voices praising Michael Caine's performance in the leading role. I agree, but what I find overlooked is the character played by Harvey Keitel, who I think here has the best performance ever at least from what I've seen.

I'll wrap up with what I usually have in the introductory part. What's the subject in "Youth"? We have a snapshot from the final years of an orchestra conductor, while he spends his usual vacation in a mountain resort in Switzerland. That's it. Mainly a few days from a guy's life and what surrounds him. To conclude, starting from the subject description, I think "Youth" is actually recommended to watch until a certain age .. Don't know why, but I guess seeing it after you're 40-50 years old might gain a stronger depressing factor than what it already has. Even if, in the end, the final part can be seen as a metaphor of "you can stay forever young" :)

Rating: 4 out of 5