Overview
A sweeping tale of two brothers navigating love and loss against the backdrop of Italy's tumultuous history.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- wistful
- compassionate
- melancholic
- weekend film marathon
- reflective evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard this exceptionally long Italian family chronicle as engrossing, emotionally rich, and justified by its compelling characters and sweeping historical scope.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nicola and Matteo's lives unfold alongside Italy's cultural upheavals, terrorism, and Tangentopoli from 1966 to 2000.
The 367-minute structure follows several decades and allows sustained attention to the brothers, their relationships, and historical transitions.
Nicola and Matteo respond differently to politics, institutions, love, and personal loss, producing sustained conflict between them.
Giulia's sympathy for the Brigate Rosse and Matteo's police career bring the era's political violence directly into the family's intimate sphere.
Films like The Best of Youth, and why
Rocco and His Brothers
expansive italian family saga shaped by national history, political upheaval, and intergenerational conflict
The Leopard
large-scale italian historical melodrama connecting family relationships to social transformation
1900
multigenerational family drama using intimate relationships to illuminate decades of political and cultural change
Atonement
emotionally expansive historical family chronicle centered on memory, loss, and changing society
Movie Details
- Director
- Marco Tullio Giordana
- Release Date
- 2003-06-22
- Runtime
- 367 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (620)
Cast
- Luigi Lo Cascio
- Alessio Boni
- Adriana Asti
- Sonia Bergamasco
- Fabrizio Gifuni
- Maya Sansa
- Valentina Carnelutti
- Jasmine Trinca
- Andrea Tidona
- Lidia Vitale
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Best of Youth about?
- Two Roman brothers and the people they love move through three turbulent decades of Italian history, their family bonds tested by politics, loss, and diverging ideals.
- What is The Best of Youth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Best of Youth as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Best of Youth violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Best of Youth as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Best of Youth?
- Critics broadly regard this exceptionally long Italian family chronicle as engrossing, emotionally rich, and justified by its compelling characters and sweeping historical scope.
- Which films are like The Best of Youth?
- Films with a similar feel include Rocco and His Brothers, The Leopard, 1900, and Atonement.
- How long is The Best of Youth?
- The Best of Youth runs 367 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Best of Youth?
- In United States, The Best of Youth is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.
