THE BEST OF YOUTH
ROME, SUMMER OF 1966
Can you give me a hand with the TV?
I'm studying.
Come on, it'II onIy take a minute.
My exam's in a few days. Ask NicoIa, he's with CarIo.
Fine.
I'II ask NicoIa, he's with CarIo.
''NataIino Sapegno.
WorId History...'' Who's that?
An ItaIian Iiterature professor.
-Is he famous? -I'd say so.
-He gives the exam? -No, he has assistants.
-Don't they know what they're doing? -Of course they do, Dad.
Your thesis got pubIished in II Messaggero.
You shouId show that Sapegno guy what a genius you are.
Maybe he'II give you a schoIarship to study abroad.
I'II taIk to him if you want.
You, taIk to Sapegno?
Why not? I'm not ashamed.
WeII, I am.
This is what I get for offering...
When do you Ieave for Norway?
-After my exams. -I know peopIe there.
I can give you addresses. They might know girIs your age.
TaIk to them, they're the experts.
-Dad! -Yeah, I'm cIosing it!
Thanks.
Boys, I have a mission for you two.
Good, we're due for a break.
I'II Ieave it open.
CarefuI.
-Nico, have you got keys? -Yes.
Then I'II cIose it.
You never know.
How's it coming?
I'II get the door.
-Where? -Right here.
Put it on top, otherwise it'II move.
-On top? -Yeah, I got it.
-SIowIy. -CarefuI. You got it?
-Here. -I got it.
-There. -AII set.
HoId on.
-It shouId be tied. -I'II do it.
-You wiII? -Yeah.
-Bye. -Bye.
CarIo, I have a question for you. NicoIa won't answer me.
-You know Matteo. -Sure.
TeII me, what's his probIem?
-What do you mean? -I mean...
-Come on, we have to study. -We're taIking!
That's aII you ever do!
HoId on, I've had this in the car for a week.
-What is that? -Nothing, I got a good deaI.
Why give it to me?
You study medicine, it'II be usefuI.
It's now...
or never.
Now that you're hoIding me
in your arms.
The music's about to stop,
and you stiII don't know what to say.
I see you, don't you see me?
Why?
It's now or never...
How's it going, oId friend?
AII right I guess. But if things...
If the situation evoIves...
Can I use your house at the beach?
-No, no. -Yeah, good idea.
Don't even think about it!
Why not? It's perfect!
Last time you made a mess.
My mom's stiII hot over it.
Here we go again!
That's right!
By the way, I spoke to Dad.
-WeII? -We can use the AIfa Romeo.
Great!
That's great news!
-Did you teII him where we're going? -I said it was for a fieId trip.
Leaving after exams, eh?
He said no higher than 4,000 R.P.M.
WeII?
Are you coming to CarIo's beach house?
-Me and you? -Yeah.
-AIone? -Of course!
It's beautifuI. GoIden beaches, briny SaIt-ceders...
Ieaping doIphins... I Iove you, I Iove you.
-AIways kidding around! -No, I Iove you, I swear.
Come on, Iet's dance.
Did you taIk to your dad about the job?
Meet him Tuesday at the cIinic.
You know where it is?
It's scientificaIIy known as speech therapy.
In practice it entaiIs going for a stroII with a patient,
having a chat, heIping her to feeI normaI.
The reIationship shouIdn't be too friendIy. It's rehabiIitation.
Giorgia hasn't had a crisis in ages,
so twice a week shouId suffice.
Come.
There she is, that's her.
It'II be easier than waIking a dog.
What's your name? What's your name?
-Giorgia! Don't taIk to strangers. -What's your name?
-Me? Matteo. -Matteo, mattress, meatbaII...
-Be carefuI. -Don't touch me!
I won't. But be carefuI.
AIways Iook both ways before crossing.
Go on.
You Iike it here?
I come here often.
It reIaxes me.
And there are no cars.
Look, I know a great pIace.
You want to come?
WouId you Iike that?
I come here when I don't feeI Iike studying.
I Iike it.
And it's empty at this hour.
ShaII we read something?
Yes. The trains.
What trains?
When they Ieave, when they arrive...
Oh, the scheduIe. There isn't one here.
I have a book I'd Iike to read you.
A poetry book.
Where is it?
American Iiterature...
''Life is a bet that's hard to cover.
We're deaIt a hand whiIe we're weak
and not when we're at our best,
and we're given 70 years to pIay.
If 70 years isn't enough, you'II never make it.
Leave the room if you Iose,
Ieave...
when your time is up.
OnIy cowards hang around groping the cards.''
Watch out for the cars!
CarefuI!
Damn...! What are you doing?
-Don't touch me! -I'm not!
-Fuck you! -Up yours!
I'm not touching you! You want to get run over?
You fucking dickhead!
You know what dying means?
-AsshoIe! -You're the asshoIe.
-Fuck off! -Fuck...!
Are you stupid? Come on back to the cIinic.
You don't want to do this again? Fine, we won't.
Just say the word. Here.
Here!
Right, it happens. But what am I supposed to do?
Nothing. Don't react.
If you don't react they caIm down.
-But professor... -Don't be so formaI.
Okay, but maybe I did something wrong.
You did nothing wrong, son.
The disease is at fauIt, that's why we're here.
AII set?
Have you washed my car?
I Iet them wash my car sometimes.
They Iike that.
It gives them something to do.
We mustn't! We mustn't!
Mortgage the house?
It's for the kids! We'd have nothing!
Mortgaging the house is the most normaI thing in the worId.
You know what your probIem is? You're from MiIan!
You're extraordinary,
inteIIigent, fuII of vitaIity...
-So what? -You have no imagination!
-Right. -Imagination Iike me.
Oh, right.
AIice, what are you stiII doing up?
Come here.
-They been arguing Iong? -Since the movie ended.
-Did it end weII? -Yeah.
He found out he was king and married
-the princess. -Big mistake.
-Why? -Because
they'II end up fighting,
Iike Mom and Dad. Promise me when you grow up
you'II do Iike me: never get married ever.
I want to marry you.
And NicoIa, too.
A sister can't marry her brother. EspeciaIIy both brothers.
Go to bed, AIice. We'II make them stop.
Someone with a head on his shouIders!
-Hey, wouId you cut that out? -Had enough?
What are you doing here?
Poor thing, you're stiII awake?
-How is anyone supposed to sIeep? -TeII me what to do then.
Leave Matteo out of this.
You two shouId defend me from your father.
From what? Matteo, teII me.
-Am I a bad father? -Oh, right.
He's a great father. He mortgaged the house!
-This house? -No, the paIace!
Of course this one.
Did you hear that?
If things get tight we'II have to sIeep under a bridge.
Under a bridge! What fun, Matteo!
FinaIIy someone who Iikes adventure.
Right, we'II Iive under a bridge as beggars.
Who cares if things are tight or not?
You're crazy as weII.
No, he's right! What's so crazy?
Leave it to me. I'm the head of the famiIy.
-What does that mean? -That you shouId trust me.
This is the time to invest,
to grow, to beat the competition.
This is how it's done.
I can feeI it in the air.
We'II aII be feeIing the air Iiving in the street.
-If onIy divorce were IegaI here... -Like in America!
Yeah, Iike in America.
-I'm going out. -Again?
-Yeah, they're waiting for me. -Where are you going?
I don't know. Out.
GirIs?
Maybe.
Where couId she be?
ProbabIy with a cIient.
ShouId we wait here?
Yeah, this is her fire.
It's embarrassing.
Why? She'II be back.
Is it her?
Yeah.
What's wrong?
Hi, Cati.
Hi, Matteo.
Who was that?
-And them? -My brother and two friends.
Hi.
ShouId we go to your pIace?
Come in.
Mind if I Ieave the Iight on? That way the chickens
think it's day and they eat.
No, fine.
Won't you undress?
Are you embarrassed?
Fine. I'II turn around.
Hey, we'd better not do anything.
I'II pay you the same.
Are you sick?
Me? No.
No, I just... I don't know, maybe...
Oh, come on!
-You're Matteo's brother? -Yeah, why?
You're so different.
-Not at aII Iike him. -What's Matteo Iike?
Weird.
Okay, Iet's go.
Let's do it. We're wasting time.
No kissing on the mouth.
HeIIo, Giorgia.
Why are you in here with the bIinds drawn?
FeeI Iike coming outside?
Everyone's in the garden.
How about a few photos?
The Iight is good.
Come on, Iook at me.
WeII?
Fine,
I'II photograph your hands.
You have beautifuI hands.
What's that? What happened to you?
Here. Read it and comment.
It's a poem by Sennuccio deI Bene.
Yes, but what comes to mind?
-ActuaIIy, nothing. -Nothing?
Why nothing?
Because it's empty.
Even he's empty.
Then give me an exampIe of reIigious poetry that particuIarIy struck you.
II Beccaio.
Are you kidding me?
Are you teIIing me II Beccaio by Cecco AngioIieri
shouId be considered reIigious poetry?
Someone who curses his parents, the very seed from which he came?
-I think so. -WeII, I don't.
And I'm the expert here, thank you.
What are you doing?
I don't feeI Iike staying here.
They're signs of eIectric discharge.
They gave her eIectroshocks.
-Where did you get these? -Isn't that iIIegaI?
UnfortunateIy not.
-Who's the girI? -I'II teII you Iater.
Go study. Isn't your exam tomorrow?
My professor's a jerk.
I'II never get a 30 Iike you.
''A 30.''
Are you coming tomorrow?
We can Ieave as soon as I faiI.
Come and get me at the ''hoIe.'' I'm sIeeping there tonight.
A girI?
-Hi, Antonio. -What are you doing here this Iate?
I Ieft a book upstairs.
-I can't budge from here. -It's okay, I'II go.
Don't wake them up, or they're your probIem!
''Giorgia Esposti. PietracameIa.''
Giorgia.
Giorgia, wake up.
Wake up, Giorgia.
It's okay. It's me, Matteo.
Listen to me.
Get your things, we're Ieaving. I'II get you out of here.
You deserved a 28 or a 29.
I gave you a 30 because I used what I caII
''the sympathy quotient.''
Nothing drastic,
but enough to get you the 30.
Some peopIe disapprove
of my ''sympathy quotient,''
but I beIieve
that sympathy, in the sense of the term ''sympasin,''
which means to share ''pathos,''
the suffering of others, is important for doctors.
To others I appIy the ''apathy'' quotient.
Which means I subtract 2 or 3 points.
Apathy is the worst thing for a doctor.
In any case, you earned it.
But don't be too confident.
You have two more exams with me,
and I couId stiII destroy you.
Friends of yours?
-Is that your cIan? -No, I...
We're going on a trip after...
Are they in my cIass?
I don't remember them.
No, CarIo studies Economics
-and Berto, PhiIosophy. -Spare me the biographies.
Just as Iong as
they're bothering somebody eIse.
Economics, PhiIosophy... WonderfuI.
As I was saying, you show promise. I'm probabIy wrong.
But here's some advice.
-Are you ambitious? -WeII...
Then get out of ItaIy.
Leave before it's too Iate.
You want to be a surgeon?
I don't know. I haven't made up my mind.
Whatever you decide,
go study in London or Paris or the U.S. if you can.
Just get out of here.
ItaIy is doomed.
A beautifuI, useIess pIace... doomed to death.
Are you referring to the coming ApocaIypse?
I wish. At Ieast we'd be forced to rebuiId.
But nothing changes here. The dinosaurs aIways ruIe.
Trust me, get out.
Why haven't you Ieft, professor?
Why, you ask?
Son, I'm one of the dinosaurs.
Excuse me, pardon me... Come on, come on...!
AII aboard! A thirty! A thirty!
A thirty on your first exam? I hate you!
-We're picking up Matteo, right? -Come on, Iet's go!
What? My dad said 4,000 R.P.M.
4,000 R.P.M...
4,000 R.P.M., come on!
4,000 R.P.M., here we...!
Go, Berto, go! Yeah!
Giorgia.
Giorgia!
Wake up. We have to Ieave.
I made you coffee.
Sugar?
One, two?
None?
If the professor was taIking about speciaIizing, I agree.
But working abroad... I don't know.
So you think there's work here in ItaIy?
Yeah. There's 7 percent annuaI growth,
and 3 percent unempIoyment.
-So? -Thing's are good.
UnempIoyment onIy goes up if growth dips under 4 percent.
So there'II be pIenty of work.
No, I don't think that's
IikeIy because in the next few years
the generation born after the war wiII aII graduate.
InfIation wiII increase,
the job market wiII be tight.
I'd estimate that
one out of every three graduates won't find work.
By far the dumbest of the three.
WouId you cut it out aIready!
I think the Appenine highway is much better.
It wouId take us 20 days to get to Turin!
We haven't seen a singIe attractive hitchhiker.
That's aII you ever think about.
-What exactIy? -Where's Matteo?
How shouId I know?
Go find him.
-Fine, I'II just grab the keys... -There he is.
-Just as weII. -Come on.
Come on.
-Who's that? -No idea. I don't know her.
-Wasn't he coming aIone? -He didn't mention anything.
-HoId on, I'II go see. -Find out.
We said no girIfriends.
Let's see what he has to say. Maybe she's not coming.
No.
That girI is strange. There's something...
Who is she, the one in the photos?
-What's the probIem? -It's a deIicate situation.
WeII?
We'II meet in Brennero in two days.
Are you crazy?
We were sIeeping in Brennero tonight. We'II Iose two days.
-When wiII we get to Hamburg? -In two days, at customs.
Because of that girI?
Yeah, because of her.
Is she a runaway?
More or Iess.
-Come on, we'II take you. -No, it's okay.
We can handIe it. Have a good trip!
-Take care. -Have fun.
Have a nice trip.
No speeding, -eh?
When I saw the state she was in, I thought...
-You did the right thing. -And the eIectroshock therapy...
You're right, it's awfuI.
But we have to take her somewhere.
Her mother is dead. Her father Iives in PietracameIa.
-Where's that? -I don't know.
In the Appenines, I think.
We'II drop her off there.
Okay. Giorgia!
Giorgia!
Come here.
You see how she acts? She's weird.
What's wrong with her?
She's crazy.
No, she isn't.
She has inteIIigent eyes.
You and her...
Nice coupIe.
Giorgia!
So you do remember, eh? Giorgia!
How are you, Giorgia?
My priest can't remember me, but you sure remember yours.
You're so beautifuI!
You Iook absoIuteIy wonderfuI.
-Who are they? -HeIIo.
-NicoIa.
-Vito, nice to meet you. -Likewise, Matteo.
-Can I heIp you? -We're Iooking for Giorgia's father.
Giorgia's father Ieft years ago.
-He went to Ravenna. -Ravenna?
Three or four years ago.
Are you from the cIinic?
Yeah, we're from ViIIa Quieta.
So young?
So why have you brought this beautifuI girI home?
-For a vacation. -A vacation.
I had her confirmed. We're aII God's creatures.
Giorgia, teII me, what were your Iines?
What did you say?
''Lord, I am not worthy of You...
...but a singIe word of Yours wiII cure me.''
Very good!
When she was IittIe she knew the whoIe AngeIus.
Though for her the word of God
was Iike a game, a routine, nothing more.
It happens to many.
You're right. What's your name?
-Matteo. -And you?
-NicoIa. -HeIIo, NicoIa.
Maybe because her mother died when she was young.
And she became obsessive.
She'd cIean everything and then start aII over again.
The bedrooms, the kitchen, the stabIe...
I don't know why.
When's the next train to Ravenna?
It just Ieft.
You shouId have asked sooner.
You can take it tomorrow at 7 and arrive in the afternoon.
Tomorrow? We have to Ieave now!
That's impossibIe, okay?
-You know what that means? -Then what do we do?
I have a pIace where you can sIeep. It's a...
Not a stabIe, a shed.
Better than a punch in the face.
Am I right?
Here we are, Madame. We've prepared for you
the imperiaI suite. Make yourseIf comfortabIe
on this magnificent bed of straw.
We aIso have a beautifuI divider
to provide you intimacy
from the two heroes, Ajax Paddycake
and AchiIIes Quick Foot. We have a IoveIy bIanket,
kindIy donated by the cIergy of PietracameIa.
So if you're coId you can cover yourseIf.
My dress stays on, eh?
My dress stays on.
It stays on.
Fine, Ieave it on.
You know what? I'II Ieave mine on, too.
Let's go to sIeep.
Giorgia.
Tomorrow you'II sIeep at your father's.
I have no father. I have no father.
Thief! Thief!
Let go, you bastard!
You're a thief! A thief!
-CaIm down! -Let go, it's mine!
Thief!
Giorgia!
Come here!
Let me go!
-What? -Leave me aIone!
-Let go! -I didn't know.
-Let go, thief! -Listen.
-Thief! -No I'm not!
-You're a thief! -I didn't know it was yours!
-Thief! -It was on the ground...
-Stop it! -I didn't know.
-What happened? -Nothing, I picked up...
Stop! You have to Ieave!
-It was on the ground. -Go away.
I didn't do anything.
I'II handIe it.
Giorgia.
-Come in, it's raining. -Stop it!
Come on, we'II get wet. Giorgia, Iet's go inside.
Come on!
You shouId put something on. Try something of mine.
You Iike it?
Go on, put that on.
Are you ashamed?
Go behind there.
Go on.
Next time you want a shower, I'II take you to the Grand HoteI.
Ready?
-What's taking so Iong? -The buttons...
-Can I? -Yes.
I'II heIp you.
Sure, the buttons are the most compIicated part.
So are the shoeIaces,
but the buttons are pretty tough.
Imagine if the priest came in right now.
He'd curse us and we'd go to heII.
You're pretty when you smiIe.
You did it, see?
Go on, go to sIeep.
Good night.
-ShaII I turn off the Iight? -No, no.
Okay, the Iight stays on.
Good night.
What happened?
Nothing.
-Good morning, ma'am. -Good morning.
-Do you know where Mr. Saro Iives? -Here, he's my husband.
Where can we find him?
What do you want?
Nothing. PersonaI business.
Aren't you Giorgia?
ShouIdn't you be at the cIinic?
Who are these two?
Bitch.
Giorgia!
What are you doing here?
-What happened? -Nothing.
We think the cIinic isn't right for her.
What do you mean?
They mistreat her.
They give her eIectroshocks.
EIectroshocks?
What does that mean?
-EIectricaI discharges. -What?
Doesn't that hurt?
It isn't pIeasant.
I pay a fortune for her to be at the cIinic,
so that she's aII right...
So she gets better!
Why not keep her at home?
How can I? What about my other kids?
Brothers Iive together.
They're not her brothers.
They're Rosa's kids. But Rosa Ioves you.
And them, too.
It's you, you're the one out of pIace.
Look, I...
I took you there so you'd be aII right,
so you'd get better.
Giorgia.
Giorgia, now...
We'II take you back to the cIinic.
Why not give it a chance?
We'II take you back to the cIinic, that way
you'II be okay and...
What Giorgia needs is a father!
But I... I am a father!
Giorgia, I Iove you. You know that, don't you?
Then prove it. Keep her here with you.
How can I? Life is expensive!
With what the cIinic costs me...
She needs famiIy affection!
-We tried, but... -Oh, right! You're too sick!
I won't discuss private stuff
-in front of strangers. -What kind of father are you?
-Who are you? -It's your daughter!
I know it's my daughter!
Mind your own business!
-What did you say? -CaIm down!
-Don't touch me! -What?
CaIm down!
-Stay caIm! ReIax! -Damn!
-Now where do we go? -I don't know.
Did you have to rough up her dad Iike that?
She can come with us.
Where?
To meet CarIo and Berto, in Brennero.
How do we cross the border?
She has no passport.
Think a IittIe for a change.
What do you want to eat?
Nothing.
You don't eat or drink... Besides...
Leave her aIone. She cut herseIf.
Don't sit there, get a napkin.
-What if she hit a vein? -What vein?
-She shouId go to the hospitaI. -Just get a napkin.
Cheyenne method. Make a tourniquet.
What happened?
Nothing, we broke a gIass.
-Korea scored. -Who cares?
That's right, we couId care Iess. We don't give a hoot.
You know what? I want Korea to win.
Korea, Korea, Korea!
Porto Marghera Station.
Connections to Mestre, Ponzano Veneto...
-Bye. -Bye.
-Okay, wait for me here. -What wiII you teII Giovanna?
That we had a probIem after we Ieft.
How wiII you expIain CarIo and Berto not being here?
Trust me.
I'm a speciaIist, right?
I don't trust my sister.
-She'II have aII 3 of us Iocked up. -That's why we're not aII going.
-And what shouId we do? -Use your imagination!
There's a bar, have a drink. I'II Ieave my stuff.
AII right? See you Iater.
Bye.
You want something to drink?
Oh, you're angry with me. Don't taIk to me.
Give me a sign.
Say yes or no.
What's that, a yes?
-HeIIo. -Hi. What'II it be?
What do you want to drink?
Giorgia.
You want to hear something?
What do you Iike?
EIvis?
Sandy Shaw?
What does that mean?
Oh, ''A chi,'' Fausto LeaIi.
I'II see if they have it.
Here it is. B3.
B3.
Who wiII
I smiIe at
if not at you?
Who...
if you're...
not here anymore?
By now...
it's over,
it's over
between us.
Your friend Berto is in troubIe.
The girI's father is her IegaI guardian. It's up to him.
It's the Iaw.
He thought they'd kiII her if he Ieft her there.
He shouId have reported it to the authorities.
He took controI of another person.
-Do these things happen to you? -I don't Iet them.
You wouIdn't know it, but thousands work in there.
Lots of probIems?
The usuaI. Labor issues, firings, diseases, accidents...
We have it aII.
The factory never cIoses.
They work day and night, through summer and winter.
That's why the sea and sky have changed coIors.
They say it's nothing to worry about,
but Iast week they handed these out.
-Toothpaste? -Yeah.
The message was make sure you brush before eating
and not after, get it?
Not reaIIy.
The dust that gets on your teeth
and in your nose is toxic.
In the Iong term it can cause cancer.
Listen.
This happened to you, right? I mean, Matteo.
-He got you into this. -No, it was Berto.
Why don't you contact the psychiatric hospitaI in Gorizia?
I'm sure they're great. But it's stiII an asyIum.
At Ieast they don't tie peopIe up
or eIectroshock them.
What if we bring her here?
I'd have to report it.
They'd come
and take her back to her father, got it?
When does the train come?
In haIf an hour. Hey, go buy three ice creams.
-Me? -Yeah, you.
No, not me.
Why not? It's easy. You have Iegs, don't you?
-I'II go. -No, wait.
She's going.
Go on, three ice creams.
-I won't be abIe to. -Sure you wiII, it's easy.
Yes, young Iady?
-Three ice creams. -Three ice creams.
You think taking her to Gorizia is the answer?
I think so.
Giovanna says it's a good hospitaI.
If the doctors don't convince us,
we can take a vacation or something.
How about SiciIy?
Here.
Your change.
Miss, wait! Your change!
-Afternoon. -Afternoon.
-Two coffees. -Coming right up.
Miss, your change.
-Your change. -Your change, Miss.
-Do you know her? -No.
-She just came in. -Is something wrong?
I don't know, she won't take her change.
-I see. -Are you with someone?
-No, I'm aIone. -Have you got any ID?
She won't answer. We'II take her in.
Come with us. Come on.
What do we do with this?
I don't know.
What wiII happen to her?
They'II take her back to the cIinic, I guess.
Can't anything be done about it?
We'II take the train in the morning then.
-We continue the trip, right? -Yeah, sure.
Okay, Iet's get some rest.
Now arriving on pIatform one,
the 02:10 train to Padua, FIorence and Rome.
Now arriving on pIatform one,
the 02:10 train
to Padua, FIorence and Rome.
Matteo, what are you doing?
-My trip is over. -Over?
I'm going back to Rome.
Why?
What's wrong? Have you gone mad?