89
Metascore
28 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThis is epic filmmaking on a profoundly human scale, directed to perfection and magnificently acted by everyone in sight.
- 90VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasAt nearly six hours, pic's extreme length lets Giordana and screenwriters Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli build up a novelistic rhythm, pulling the audience so deeply and forcefully into their story that it becomes like a enveloping dream; when it's over, parting with the characters is truly sweet and sorrowful.
- 90SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinThe Best of Youth doesn't have a boring millisecond. It isn't an art film, with longueurs; it's a mini-series with the sweep of a classic novel, with tons of plot.
- 88Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe acting is electric. By the end of this haunting, hypnotic film, you feel you have watched lives being lived, not just imagined.
- 88New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardAfter all the observations on heartache, politics, art, commerce, passion, identity, mortality, even mental health, six hours begin to seem downright compact.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttLo Cascio and Boni inhabit their roles with keen intellectual and emotional vigor.
- 80Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterThe movie has the addictive episodic intimacy of great TV.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensFull of nuance and complexity, but it is also as accessible and engrossing as a grand 19th-century novel.
- 75New York PostRussell Scott SmithNew York PostRussell Scott SmithAll the pieces converge in a powerful rush during the second half.