‘Youth’ is a portrait of friendship
Print Edition
SUPERHEROES and franchise blockbusters may dominate the multiplex, but Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth” is a reminder of the touching, unexpected and unusual places movies can go.
Original and unpredictable, “Youth” trusts its audience’s curiosity and powers of perception. Sorrentino doesn’t over-explain his story or characters — they simply stand as written, awaiting discovery. “Youth” is almost the antithesis of the Hollywood blockbuster, and not just because of its non-linear narrative.
Despite its title, the film centers on a relationship between two octogenarians, and presents people of all ages, sizes and appearances as worthy of interest and love.
The film’s idyllic setting is a vintage health spa in the Swiss Alps that offers nightly live entertainment and daily nude hot-pool soaks amid breathtaking mountain landscapes.
Retired composer Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) is there for his annual retreat, accompanied by his daughter, Lena (Rachel Weisz). Fred’s lifelong friend, Hollywood filmmaker Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel), is there, too.
Also staying at the resort is famous American actor Jimmy Tree (Paul Dano), who is preparing for his next role. He befriends the older men as they check out their fellow guests, including an obese retired soccer player, an elegantly dressed couple who never speak, a teenage masseuse with braces, a meditating monk, a pudgy young prostitute, and Miss Universe.
Lena is worried about Fred, who has just declined an invitation from the Queen of England to conduct his most beloved composition at a concert for Prince Philip. Fred insists he’s retired and done with life; Lena says he’s apathetic. But when no one is watching, Fred imagines himself conducting the sounds he hears in nature.
He talks about life and age and memories with Mick, who’s otherwise focused on his latest screenplay, which he calls his “testament.” He brought a group of young screenwriters with him to help brainstorm the film’s ending. Jimmy, meanwhile, spends most of his time observing everyone else.
Every performance from the outstanding ensemble cast rings true. Even the supporting players and silent performers are superb. Sorrentino tapped Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang to create Fred’s music and the film’s score (his first).
“Youth” might have alternately been called “Us” for its loving perspective on people. More than anything, it’s a loving portrait of friendship, one that Sorrentino dedicates to his friend and mentor Francisco Rosi, the Italian director who died in January.
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