In Youth, Paolo Sorrentino explores similar themes to those in La Grande Bellezza: the protagonists—rich aging men with creative backgrounds—reflect on the years passed and feelings gone in the picturesque surroundings of the Swiss Alps. The film’s irrepressible atmosphere of the ambient dolce far niente embraces the viewer, instantly creating a reflective mood.
A renowned composer and a film director—close friends for decades—spend the autumn of their lives in a glamorous Alpine spa resort. Along with picturesque landscapes, they are surrounded by a number of high society characters: a young actor—a single role superstar, silent millionaires, a Buddhist monk and even Miss Universe. The love lives of their adult kids, combined with their own personal dramas from the distant past as well as recent confessions, prompt the main characters to reflect on their own, supposedly finished lives.
The fine duo of actors Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel supply the melancholic ambience of the film with a great deal of refreshing irony. Youth was nominated for the Palme D’Or at the 2015 Cannes Festival, and won three top prizes awarded by the European Film Academy.
Youth
Director Paolo Sorrentino. 124 minutes. Italy, France, UK, Switzerland, 2015