The Best of Youth Photo

The Best of Youth

Starring: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Adriana Asti, Sonia Bergamasco, Fabrizio Gifuni, Maya Sansa

Directed by: Marco Tullio Giordana

RS: 3.5of 4 Stars

2006

Commissioned for Italian TV, this sprawling but swift-moving six-hour-plus 2003 Cannes winner deservedly became Italy's best-reviewed film in recent memory when it played U.S. art houses last year. The Mediterranean landscape loses some impact on a small screen, but the length suits home viewing. Focused on the troubled relationships of a middle-class family from 1966 to 2003, the film delivers complex performances missing from most American cinema.