"I don't like reality anymore. Reality is lousy". Sorrentino takes us on a romanticized tour of his hometown through the memories of his teenage years. Both the beautiful city and the bizarre characters we meet along the way are not shown for what they really are, but as they are seen through the artist's eyes. Yet, they still manage to feel tangible and authentic from the audience's perspective. Fiction should always reflect the artist's sensibility, but it's only when it keeps a close bond with reality that it manages to touch other people's hearts.

The Little Monk felt a little out of place, but other than that, it's an elegant movie that manages to feel both intriguing and genuine throughout. It's almost entirely contemplative and uneventful, but it will be hard to take your eyes off it.

[Netflix] Sorrentino looking Fellini face to face, paying tribute to his mentor Antonio Capuano, loving cinema as an escape from reality, but transferring his own reality to cinema. The tragedy of life as the driving force behind the coming-of-age, women as sexual objects, the religion of football, the family as ballast and as an impulse. Loving and hating, laughing and crying, the contradictions of life.

Started off incredibly strong but starts dragging by the last third. What feels fresh, surprising and original in the beginning becomes repetitive, predictable and quite honestly boring by the end. Still, a very enjoyable watch - I especially liked the genuine chuckles I let out in the first half of the film - some great one liners!

I love the way this film captures family, ugly bits included. Brotherly love, parental fondness, loony relatives, bitter relatives. Humour and laughter.

First time I’ve seen sex in a film that…wasn’t arousing, intentionally.
Aunt Patrizia, though…

Nu cess e film, nta fess' e sort

I prefer Aunt Patrizia to Maradona.

The original title of the film is È stata la mano di Dio.