Best Films of the 2010s: The Great Beauty

Lists are beautiful. Films are beautiful. Opinions are subjective. Some films that we see now- some made for kids, some made in other languages, some made in 'trashy' genres- will one day become classics. Which ones? Here's my entirely subjective gaze into the crystal ball with my picks of the best films of the 2010s...

The Great Beauty

 

After the tranquil Italian countryside of Call Me By Your Name, the flamboyant Rome of Paolo Sorrentino’s film: a world to get lost in. Toni Servillo’s journalist Jep is an urbane and mocking commentator on the art scene of the city. And what a scene! An ‘artist’ with the Soviet hammer and sickle shaved into their pubic hair, runs naked into a wall and then screams repeatedly ‘I don’t love you’ (literally on the rebound). A young girl essentially has a big screaming hissy-fit covered in paint, but the resulting canvas is admittedly gorgeous. Such impressionistic snapshots dominate for a while, but the banquet of delights do converge into a satisfying meal.

     Satire of modern art gets some easy laughs but tearing down the airy bullshit of others will only get you so far unless you have a solid alternative to offer, and Sorrentino does through his focus on the wonderful Servillo’s Jep. He is a big-hearted and funny man who is ageing and riven by grief and worse meaninglessness, but certainly does not go gentle into that good night, partying hard, searching for people who aren’t phony and making sure to let them know when they are. The film boasts a perfect soundtrack that glides from the devotional to the dancehall, and gorgeous cinematography, but my favourite thing about it is its tone of loving mockery. What makes these characters ridiculous is what makes them human. This movie taught me the italian word cazzuto, badass, and it fits the bill. If for nothing else, watch it for the mysterious elephant!

Next Time: less pasta, more tomatoes.