The Best of Youth (2005)

I'm not a fan of long films as I find that they're usually unnecessarily lengthy -- an indulgence rather than good storytelling. This six-hour epic spanning almost 40 years really cast a spell on me, though. I took my time with it -- spreading it out over more than a week. It felt rather like watching a complete season of a particularly engrossing series or like getting lost in a wondrous book. I neither thought "when the heck is this gonna be over" nor, when it concluded, "is it over already??" I was satisfied.

The story focuses on two Italian brothers whom we meet in college. They are both this side of big changes in their lives -- and the choices they make are about as different as two can be. One opts for the rigidity of the police force, while the other rambles about the country for a while, picking up work when he needs money. That's just the first couple of hours though -- and, anyway, this film should be experienced rather than reviewed.

B+