an italian epic

for a 6 hour movie, The Best of Youth feels very short. this is an epic, which means that years in the characters' lives are lost to the viewer, children grow up from one scene to the next and grey hair substitutes for true aging. the best of youth has all the charms of a European movie - a sharp focus on characters and relationships with political movements creating the backdrop for dramatic changes. best of all, after paying close attention to the subtitles for 6 hours, I can now speak italian.