2021 ‘È stata la mano di Dio’ Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Fabietto Schisa, a boy in 1980s Naples whose teenage years are marked by unexpected joys like the arrival of football legend Diego Maradona, and an equally unexpected tragedy. Fate plays its part, joy and tragedy intertwine, and Fabietto’s future is set in motion in a tale of family, sports and cinema, love and loss.
It would be accurate to say that Paolo Sorrentino’s work explores the relationship between the sacred and the profane, but such tepid wording fails to capture the orgiastic maximalism of “The Great Beauty,” speak to the sexed up sacrilege of “The New Pope,” or summon the I didn’t even see it because a Sorrentino movie about Silvio Berlusconi just sounded way too exhausting-ness of “Loro.” Calling “Il Divo” a film about a crooked politician would be like calling “8 ½” a film about writer’s block: Right enough, and yet oh so wrong. In Sorrentino’s world, the sacred and the profane don’t just rub together or intertwine so much as they dry hump each other — with eternal vigor — until…
Per gli introversi. Per chi non piange ai funerali. Per chi non sa cosa fare in futuro e pensa che la realtà sia scadente. Per chi vorrebbe scoparsi la zia. Per chi ha passato l’infanzia tra i terroni. Per chi si incanta davanti allo schermo e vuole studiare filosofia, anche se non sa cosa sia. Per chi è comunista, ma la sincerità è una qualità troppo elevata da esercitare. Per chi ascolta la musica da solo e non sa stare con i coetanei. Per chi ha fatto della malinconia la sua cifra esistenziale. Per tutti questi c’è Sorrentino, per tutti gli altri c’è Zack Snyder.
Paolo Sorrentino bares his heart & soul in THE HAND OF GOD. Highly specific in its character details & inspired by real life events, even if they sometimes feel arbitrary. I preferred the second half more than the first but the whole film is beautiful to look at while Filippo Scotti impressed me. Not the great film I was expecting but it might be my favorite Sorrentino film?
VENICE 2021 - FIRST LOOK
Paolo Sorrentino returns behind the camera with the semi-autobiographical drama The Hand of God '‘È stata la mano di Dio’, a brooding and emotionally compelling feature with masterful thematic tone, and once again assures that Sorrentino is one of the greatest living filmmakers of his generation.
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Pretending to be Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, pretending to be a confused Fellini.
Not this time, Paolo Sorrentino…
Paolo Sorrentino’s picture opens with a love letter to an extended family full of absolute characters. They squabble in hilarious fashion, but their interactions are lovingly detailed, with each relative feeling true-to-life in their design. The humour may be broad, but the cast’s timing and expressive body language makes The Hand of God’s first half truly special. It is so warming and joyously funny.
Sorrentino interjects his scenes of comedy with occasional dramatic notes, but a drastic tonal shift halfway through is where I lost my grip onto The Hand of God. Filipppo Scotti is terrific in the lead role and showcases impressive range in his comedic and emotional delivery. Breaking down the walls of which his character is contained…
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL MOVIE #8
I went into this not knowing what to expect, because every synopsis I read about The Hand of God seemed ambiguous and broad. I had seen one other Sorrentino movie, The Great Beauty, which I really enjoyed so I still had some high hopes for this.
The Hand of God is a somewhat bizarre yet incredibly engrossing movie about a boy growing up in 1970s Italy. Fabrie had a love for Argentinian Soccer player Diego Maradona, as his obsession for the soccer player eventually helps him out of a tragedy that occurs. Meanwhile, he tries to learn life through love, loss and his new interest in filmmaking. A lot of this reminds me of the style of Fellini, the slightly odd atmosphere with an euphoric tone to the film. I loved this movie and not once did I feel disinterested in what was occurring.
LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2021 - SCREENING #5
Threw me into waters I’d never swum in and guided me with a deft hand, an inviting familiarity of the deeply personal, and sincere multitude of emotions. I went along with the tide and now having come out the other end, the more I think about it, the more I love it.
I'm going through a lot right now, and this is the film I needed. I can't say exactly why because then I would be venturing into spoiler territory, but even if I did I couldn't do the film justice with words. It's a family drama, coming of age, slice of life, beautiful portrait of a teenage dude who wants to be a filmmaker. So naturally I saw a lot of myself here, but the direction the story takes is so special. The structure and pacing are unconventional so I don't expect everyone to love it, but with the awkwardness of the main guy and his struggle to communicate, I feel like it was intentional. The amount of films I've seen…
