The Best of Youth

Spanning nearly six hours of screen time, this compelling sibling saga charts the lives of two brothers from the summer of 1966 through to the present. Luigi Lo Cascio's politically active psychiatrist and Alessio Boni's duty-driven cop may share few scenes, but the unforced manner in which their lives interconnect not only reveals director Marco Tullio Giordana's narrative finesse, but also an intuitive understanding of both Italian history and the national temperament. However, the various domestic feuds, turbulent romances and personal tragedies ensure that this remains as much a human drama as an incisive portrait of a vibrant, but too often conflicted and corrupted society. A truly epic achievement.