Life is Beautiful

I can't remember when I last fell in love with a film. But after watching Life is Beautiful this afternoon, I want to work my way through every single Roberto Benigni has ever touched, just to see if there's a film as magical. It's the most charming film I've ever seen. That doesn't stop it being completely heart-breaking though.

There aren't many films that make you laugh and cry in the same breath. It's magical. Rather depressingly, the comments on YouTube say the first half sucks (where do YouTube commentors come from, seriously?) But the first half of the film totally sweeps you off your feet. You're totally behind the protagonist Guido (played by Roberto Benigni who also directed and won an Oscar for his performance) and despite him being a bit of a chancer, he's adorable. He doesn't con people, he thinks on his feet. Everything is simple to him. He does what he needs to do to be happy. And he does what he needs to do to protect his family.

Somehow even the terribly sad second half is still whimsical, still charming and funny. It never stops being light. The film doesn't play on the seriousness of WWII. You don't need to play on the seriousness of a war. It doesn't need to be said and the film is all the better for it. It's the perfect example of showing and not telling. Everything is understated.

Small things are big things.

I had a conversation with Dave over dinner last night about our top five films. Life is Beautiful might have just made its way into my top five.