agmtw logo
search
The Hand of God (2021)

The Hand of God (2021)

A fun ode to Naples from Paolo Sorrentino

The Very Best

8.0

Movie

Italy, United States of America
Italian
Comedy, Drama
2021
PAOLO SORRENTINO
Alessandro Bressanello, Alfonso Perugini, Betti Pedrazzi
130 min

What it's about

In 1980s Naples, Italy, an awkward Italian teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

The take

The Hand of God is the autobiographical movie from Paolo Sarrantino, the director of the 2013 masterpiece The Great Beauty. He recently also directed The Young Pope with Jude Law and Youth Paul Dano, both in English. He is back to his home Italy with this one. More precisely, he’s in his hometown Naples, in the 1980s, where awkward teenager Fabietto Schisa’s life is about to change: his city’s soccer team Napoli is buying the biggest footballer at the time, Diego Maradona. Sarrantino, who is also from Naples, made this movie that is half a tribute to the city and half to what it meant growing up around the legend of Maradona. The Hand of God is to Sarrantino what Roma was to Alfonso Cuarón, except it’s more vulgar, fun, and excessive. It is equally as personal though, and it goes from comedy to tragedy and back with unmatched ease.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Once Were Warriors (1994)

A Maori family survives in an alienating Auckland in this raw, tragic drama

8.0

My Old Ass (2024)

A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears

8.0

Happy as Lazzaro (2018)

A witty Italian comedy

7.5

Mid-August Lunch (2009)

A gorgeous, warm Italian comedy about a special kind of sleepover

8.1

The Collini Case (2019)

A very satisfying German legal drama

7.6

A Fortunate Man (2018)

7.5

The Best of Youth (2003)

7.1

November (2017)

Magic comes at a cost in this haunting tragic horror romance

7.3

Shun Li and the Poet (2011)

Two immigrants form a friendship in this contemplative seaside drama

7.1

Nuovo Olimpo (2023)

A lost love LGBTQ+ drama that doesn’t dive into its potent themes

6.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.