--- title: "The Best of Youth" year: 2003 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-best-of-youth" fi1m_id: "the-best-of-youth" imdb_id: "tt0346336" tmdb_id: 11659 wikidata_id: "Q1217941" fi1m_score: 86 critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-26T18:12:54.878875+00:00" updated: "2026-09-26T18:12:55.596302+00:00" region: "NO" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Best of Youth (2003) Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana · 6h 07m · Drama, History, Romance ## Identity The Best of Youth - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-best-of-youth - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-best-of-youth - **IMDb ID:** tt0346336 - **TMDB ID:** 11659 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1217941 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11659, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1217941 **Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 84 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* Six hours with someone else’s family, without once pretending we need to catch a train > Marco Tullio Giordana’s long family drama earns its time through patient direction and Luigi Lo Cascio’s unforced performance. We recommend it warmly, though its occasional sentimentality presses harder than it needs to. ## Synopsis In Italy, Nicola Carati (Luigi Lo Cascio), Matteo Carati (Alessio Boni) and Adriana Carati (Adriana Asti) form part of a family whose story stretches across several decades. Political questions run alongside family conflicts, placing their private lives against the country’s changing history. The people around them include Giulia Monfalco (Sonia Bergamasco), Carlo Tommasi (Fabrizio Gifuni) and Giorgia Esposti (Jasmine Trinca). The drama follows personal relationships over time, moving between the concerns of the family and the wider historical circumstances in which they live. ## Review *The Best of Youth* asks for 367 minutes, and we think it earns them. Marco Tullio Giordana follows a family across decades of Italian history with enough patience to let their domestic difficulties command our attention. The occasional push towards sentimentality is the caveat; for most of its length, this is engrossing, carefully acted drama. Its confidence in the people on screen makes the running time seem a reasonable request, though we would understand anyone wanting to put the kettle on before agreeing. Luigi Lo Cascio, playing Nicola Carati, gives the film the unforced human presence it needs. His performance has none of the conspicuous effort that can make a long character study feel longer, and he leaves us room to decide what we think of the person. We were moved by the close-ups: his face holds our attention without seeming to demand our sympathy. The director gives that quiet acting enough space to register, trusting a response to interest us without having to underline it. Roberto Forza’s photography is most persuasive at this close distance, where the historical setting briefly matters less than the person occupying the frame. The restraint works because the film has already given us reason to look carefully. Franco Ceraolo’s production design keeps the period surroundings present without making them the chief subject of our attention. We never feel obliged to stop caring about the people in order to appreciate the setting, a small mercy that becomes a substantial one over six hours. Roberto Missiroli’s editing also deserves credit for how lightly that time passes. The family scenes have room to develop, yet the film rarely feels as though it is waiting for another historical event to provide something to do. Stefano Rulli and Sandro Petraglia give the political questions space in their screenplay without continually requiring the characters to explain them. Their strongest writing allows family disagreements to remain awkward, with enough competing feeling that we can understand why a conversation matters without needing it to settle anything. The weakness comes when that confidence falters and the drama presses an emotion the actors have already made clear. Its sentimental passages feel unnecessarily insistent beside the quieter work, and we occasionally wanted it to leave a feeling alone. The political thinking is also less searching than the breadth of the story might suggest. Bringing family experience into contact with national history creates plenty of interest, but some of those connections deserve more examination than the screenplay gives them; the affection for the characters can make the film too forgiving. Those reservations matter, though they did not make us wish for a substantially shorter film. Long family dramas can become dutiful exercises in keeping track of people, and the vivid ensemble here largely prevents that: attention remains a pleasure rather than an administrative task. The length gives the performances time to become familiar without exhausting our curiosity about them. Make time for it, and take a break if needed; there is no special virtue in watching the last stretch while thinking about supper. *Fi1m score 86, published 26 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find The Best of Youth absorbing and moving, with its long span sustained by close attention to family life. Praise centres on the ensemble, particularly Luigi Lo Cascio’s naturalistic performance, and on Giordana’s restrained direction. The reviews repeatedly describe a drama that remains intimate while connecting private lives to Italian history. Its length is generally treated as time well spent, with the screenplay drawing praise for handling politics and family conflict without forcing melodrama. The reservations are limited rather than widespread. The AV Club notes sentimental missteps and modest thematic reach, while still finding the film satisfying. Time Out’s praise applies only to the first instalment, which limits its assessment of the whole. The recorded scores lean strongly positive, with one mixed response, but The New York Times review text is inaccessible, so its reasons for dissent cannot be established. ## Straight answers **Is The Best of Youth worth watching?** *The Best of Youth* is worth watching for patient viewers who enjoy family dramas, and we score it 86 out of 100. Its 367 minutes earn their place through carefully developed relationships and Luigi Lo Cascio’s unforced performance, though we find the occasional sentimentality too insistent and the political questions less thoroughly explored than they deserve. **How long is The Best of Youth, and what is it rated?** *The Best of Youth* runs 6h 07m. It is a drama and history film. **Where can I watch The Best of Youth in Norway?** *The Best of Youth* is not on any streaming or rental service in Norway at the moment. It is available in 4 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is The Best of Youth, and is it suitable for children?** *The Best of Youth* carries a US R certificate, so we would not recommend it as a children’s choice. That certificate indicates material requiring parental caution for younger viewers, but does not establish how violent or frightening the film is; we cannot give a specific warning about gore, scares or sexual content. **How does The Best of Youth compare to Fanny and Alexander?** *The Best of Youth* shares the expansive family storytelling of [*Fanny and Alexander*](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander), though we recommend Bergman’s film more strongly. Giordana follows family relationships across decades of Italian history, while Bergman gives childhood a watchful presence in a drama that is warm, funny and frightening. Both reward settling in; choose Giordana for the broader connection between domestic life and national history. **What should I watch after The Best of Youth?** After *The Best of Youth*, try [*Fanny and Alexander*](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander) (1982, Fi1m 92): Another expansive family drama that rewards settling in rather than hurrying through. Then [*Another Year*](https://film.one/film/another-year) (2010, Fi1m 87): Patient ensemble acting, with rather less reassurance about the people involved; and [*The Leopard*](https://film.one/film/the-leopard) (1963, Fi1m 88): For another Italian family watching history interfere with its expectations. ### Reviews we read (8) - **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (4/4): Gonzalez regards the film as a riveting, deeply human epic. He praises Giordana’s close-ups and the way historical settings connect the characters’ personal lives to Italy’s past. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-best-of-youth/) - **Empire**, David Parkinson (90/100, inferred): Parkinson finds the sprawling drama a monumental, moving achievement that remains intimate and involving. He especially praises its measured screenplay, which handles political themes and family conflicts without forcing them into melodrama. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/best-youth-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan calls the film an exceptional, engrossing epic and urges readers to make time for it. He praises its strong performances and Giordana’s restrained, respectful direction, which make its decades-spanning family story feel real. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-18-et-youth18-story.html) - **Variety**, Scott Foundas (90/100, inferred): Foundas praises the film as an emotionally absorbing epic that sustains its long span without overstaying its welcome. He singles out Luigi Lo Cascio’s richly textured, naturalistic performance as a particular strength. [Read](https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/the-best-of-youth-2-1117920985/) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the sprawling film engrossing and ultimately satisfying, despite some sentimental missteps and modest thematic reach. He particularly praises its vivid ensemble and its intimate portrait of a family across decades. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-best-of-youth-1798200552) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the six-hour epic satisfying, heartfelt and surprisingly brisk. He especially praises Luigi Lo Cascio’s intimate performance and the film’s generous scope. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,1251522,00.html) - **Time Out** (75/100, inferred): The review describes the first installment as a very fine drama that succeeds beyond its television origins. It especially praises how well it works as a theatrical experience. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-best-of-youth-part-1) - **The New York Times** (65/100, inferred): The page identifies a film-festival review of the matching film, but its text is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/11/movies/film-festival-review-in-two-brothers-lives-a-portrait-of-italy.html) ## Details - **Director:** Marco Tullio Giordana - **Director:** Marco Tullio Giordana - **Screenplay:** Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli - **Story:** Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli - **Cinematography:** Roberto Forza - **Editor:** Roberto Missiroli - **Production design:** Franco Ceraolo - **Costume design:** Elisabetta Montaldo - **Producer:** Angelo Barbagallo - **Cast:** Luigi Lo Cascio as Nicola Carati; Alessio Boni as Matteo Carati; Adriana Asti as Adriana Carati; Sonia Bergamasco as Giulia Monfalco; Fabrizio Gifuni as Carlo Tommasi; Maya Sansa as Mirella Utano; Valentina Carnelutti as Francesca Carati; Jasmine Trinca as Giorgia Esposti - **Runtime:** 6h 07m - **First release (France):** 20 May 2003 - **Genres:** Drama, History, Romance - **Budget:** $12 billion - **Box office:** $3 million ## Where to watch in Norway Not streaming, renting or buying in Norway at the last check. Also available in: BR, FR, IT, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - European Film Award for Best Actor 2003: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Director 2003: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2003: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Fanny and Alexander* (1982), Fi1m 92: Another expansive family drama that rewards settling in rather than hurrying through. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander.md) - *A City of Sadness* (1989): For a more demanding encounter between family loyalties and national upheaval. - *Still Walking* (2008): A shorter family visit, with disagreements observed just as patiently. - *Another Year* (2010), Fi1m 87: Patient ensemble acting, with rather less reassurance about the people involved. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/another-year.md) - *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88: For another Italian family watching history interfere with its expectations. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-best-of-youth