Il Posto
A shy Milanese teenager enters the promised security of corporate employment and discovers how quietly a life can be organized around a desk.
Overview
A poignant exploration of youth and ambition in the corporate world.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- observational
- intimate
- quiet evening
- cinephile viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a finely observed, humane, and quietly incisive portrait of youth entering a dehumanizing corporate routine.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Domenico moves from adolescent uncertainty into a permanent clerical position whose routines define his emerging adulthood.
The film observes suburban youths, job examinations, clerical work, and an impersonal Milan corporation with restrained everyday realism.
The corporation's screening process and twelve-person clerical room absorb Domenico into a rigid hierarchy of desks, managers, and carbon copies.
Domenico's final position at a tiny desk in a small room without windows turns the office environment into a concrete image of limited possibility.
Films like Il Posto, and why
The Sound of the Trumpets
shared italian neorealist influence, understated coming-of-age drama, and critique of alienating work
The Bicycle Thieves
shared observational realism, youthful protagonists, and emotionally restrained social drama
PlayTime
shared workplace alienation, deadpan institutional absurdity, and critique of bureaucratic conformity
Movie Details
- Director
- Ermanno Olmi
- Release Date
- 1961-09-21
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (190)
Cast
- Loredana Detto
- Sandro Panseri
- Corrado Aprile
- Guido Chiti
- Tullio Kezich
- Bice Melegari
- Mara Revel
- Guido Spadea
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Il Posto about?
- A shy Milanese teenager enters the promised security of corporate employment and discovers how quietly a life can be organized around a desk.
- What is Il Posto like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Il Posto as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Il Posto violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Il Posto.
- What did critics think of Il Posto?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a finely observed, humane, and quietly incisive portrait of youth entering a dehumanizing corporate routine.
- Which films are like Il Posto?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sound of the Trumpets, The Bicycle Thieves, and PlayTime.
- How long is Il Posto?
- Il Posto runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Il Posto?
- In United States, Il Posto streams on Criterion Channel.
