# The Best of Youth (2003)

> A four-part Italian family saga following two brothers whose lives diverge through the upheavals of postwar Italy.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/73306

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 93 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Marco Tullio Giordana, Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli
- Network: Rai 1
- Cast: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Jasmine Trinca, Adriana Asti, Sonia Bergamasco, Fabrizio Gifuni, Maya Sansa, Valentina Carnelutti
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, reflective, humane, warm

## What critics say

Critics broadly acclaim the saga for its intimate family portrait and its sweeping engagement with postwar Italian history.

## Synopsis

The Best of Youth (2003) is an Italian national-television historical family saga miniseries created by Marco Tullio Giordana, Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli and broadcast on Rai 1. Across four long episodes of roughly ninety-three minutes each, it follows the Carati family of Rome, centering on the brothers Nicola and Matteo as their paths split in youth and pull them in opposite directions. Their matriarch Adriana anchors the household, while Giorgia, a troubled young woman whose life intersects with the family, and Carlo add further emotional stakes. The engine of the story is the tension between duty and ambition, between staying loyal to family and chasing a personal ideal, and each installment unfolds through ordinary domestic scenes, marriages, careers and quarrels. Political and social events of postwar Italy shape these private decisions without overwhelming them. The mood is melancholic yet warm, reflective and humane, with a patient pace that rewards attention. Fans of Heimat, The Leftovers and Olive Kitteridge will find resonance in its generational sweep and quiet emotional realism.

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