Gli anni più belli

Collapsing 40 years of Italian and world history into just over two hours of screen time, director and co-writer Gabriele Muccino chronicles the relationships between four friends, and shows how the momentous events of the last four decades—the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11 among them—affect both them and Italian society in general. Big themes and big ideas, yes, but Muccino anchors things on a very human level: as Giulio, Paolo and Riccardo (Pierfrancesco Favino, Kim Rossi Stuart and Claudio Santamaria, respectively) and Gemma (Micaela Ramazzotti) come together, drift apart, and re-unite according to the vagaries of their individual lives, we come to know why the film is called (in English) The Best Years…

‘A confirmation of Muccino’s filmmaking prowess and his outstanding skill in directing actors, The Best Years won’t disappoint his loyal public, not least for the cast’s excellent performance… The command the director has over the scenic space and the originality of the film’s framing and camera movements ultimately result in some highly affecting sequence shots and several unforgettable scenes…’—Camillo De Marco, Cineuropa