Touching and romantic, The Hand of God is a lush lovely remembrance. The story of a young man's coming of age, there are quite a few hallmarks of this genre, perhaps not finding a great deal of originality, but the charm comes in how lovingly the moments are rendered. From the humorous to the tragic, Sorrentino finds a truly engaging way to tell his story of the end of youth.
The film is far funnier than I expected. The Hand of God finds quite potent humour in the little moments it chronicles. A lot of this contributes to the idealized memories of childhood and family which makes the sad turn in the middle so much more impactful. But even then the film still finds hope and optimism going forward, even in loss.
The film does hit a lot of standard beats for the typical coming of age film including sexual awakening and the pain of loss. Sorrentino ties it all to actual historical football games watched by the characters which helps ground it in place and time, and also evoke a strong emotional resonance. The film ends with both sadness and a hope for the future.
And The Hand of God is a beautiful film to watch. Sorrentino doesn't hit us over the head with a look-how-beautiful-Italy-is approach but films his story if tones that soften the edges and bring out a glow to everything that is lovely to see.
The Hand of God
Starring: Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Marlon Joubert, Louisa Ranieri
Writer/Director: Paolo Sorrentino
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