The Best of Youth
Nicola and Matteo Carati are two brothers of Rome, who live the years from 1966 to 2000 and all the events which have signed this period. They begin their adventure, helping Giorgia, a young girl confined in an asylum. Then, after the flood of Florence, Nicola meets Giulia a talented piano player with a dangerous sympathy for the BR. Matteo, a rebel spirit entered in the police, will find the optimistic photographer Mirella. These four characters and many others will cross the years of terrorism and Tangentopoli.
The film earned $1.8M at the global box office.
33 wins & 25 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Best of Youth (2003) demonstrates carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of Marco Tullio Giugliani's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 6 hours. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 3 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Summer 1966: Brothers Nicola and Matteo Carati prepare for university exams in Rome, full of youthful optimism and dreams. Their world is intact, bounded by studies, family, and the promise of their futures.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 36 minutes when The brothers encounter Giorgia, a young woman in a psychiatric hospital who has been abused and abandoned by the system. Her suffering and injustice disrupt their carefree summer plans and worldview.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 81 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 22% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to After Giorgia's father rejects her, Matteo makes the fateful decision to abandon his studies and life plans to care for her, while Nicola returns to university. The brothers' paths diverge irreversibly. Matteo enters a new world of duty and sacrifice., moving from reaction to action.
At 163 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 45% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. Notably, this crucial beat Late 1970s/Early 1980s: Matteo's psychological state deteriorates as he witnesses violence and injustice in his police work. A major incident (possibly involving terrorism or brutality) marks a false defeat - his path of rigid duty is clearly destroying him. The stakes intensify., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 243 minutes (67% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Matteo commits suicide by jumping into the Tiber River. The literal death - the ultimate "whiff of death." The family is shattered. Nicola is devastated by the loss of his brother and the guilt of not saving him. Everything collapses., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 260 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. Through processing grief and reflecting on both brothers' paths, the family begins to synthesize understanding. They recognize that living fully means accepting both joy and sorrow, engagement despite pain. Nicola finds resolve to honor Matteo by continuing to live and love., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Best of Youth's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping The Best of Youth against these established plot points, we can identify how Marco Tullio Giugliani utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Best of Youth within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Summer 1966: Brothers Nicola and Matteo Carati prepare for university exams in Rome, full of youthful optimism and dreams. Their world is intact, bounded by studies, family, and the promise of their futures.
Theme
During a conversation about life choices and purpose, a character reflects on what it means to live fully and engage with the world's injustices. The statement plants the thematic seed: how do we live "the best of youth" in an imperfect world?
Worldbuilding
Establishing the Carati family dynamics, the brothers' relationship, their personalities (sensitive Nicola vs. intense Matteo), and 1960s Italy. Introduction of their planned road trip to Norway, studies, and the social context of the era.
Disruption
The brothers encounter Giorgia, a young woman in a psychiatric hospital who has been abused and abandoned by the system. Her suffering and injustice disrupt their carefree summer plans and worldview.
Resistance
The brothers debate what to do about Giorgia. They attempt to help her, taking her with them toward her father. This period explores their moral awakening and the tension between personal responsibility and social obligation. Matteo becomes particularly affected.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
After Giorgia's father rejects her, Matteo makes the fateful decision to abandon his studies and life plans to care for her, while Nicola returns to university. The brothers' paths diverge irreversibly. Matteo enters a new world of duty and sacrifice.
Mirror World
Nicola meets Giulia, a photographer and activist, who represents engagement with life, love, and social causes. She becomes the thematic mirror showing an alternative path: connection rather than isolation, hope rather than despair.
Premise
The promise of the premise: following both brothers through the turbulent decades. Nicola pursues psychiatry, falls in love with Giulia, engages with social movements. Matteo joins the police, becomes increasingly rigid and isolated. Parallel lives exploring different responses to the world's pain.
Midpoint
Late 1970s/Early 1980s: Matteo's psychological state deteriorates as he witnesses violence and injustice in his police work. A major incident (possibly involving terrorism or brutality) marks a false defeat - his path of rigid duty is clearly destroying him. The stakes intensify.
Opposition
Pressure builds across all storylines. Matteo becomes more withdrawn and damaged. Nicola's family faces challenges. Giorgia's fate weighs on everyone. Political violence in Italy escalates. The brothers' opposing life choices create wider rifts. Past decisions close in.
Collapse
Matteo commits suicide by jumping into the Tiber River. The literal death - the ultimate "whiff of death." The family is shattered. Nicola is devastated by the loss of his brother and the guilt of not saving him. Everything collapses.
Crisis
The dark aftermath of Matteo's death. The family grieves, questions everything, processes the tragedy. Nicola confronts his failure to reach his brother. The weight of loss and the seeming impossibility of continuing.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Through processing grief and reflecting on both brothers' paths, the family begins to synthesize understanding. They recognize that living fully means accepting both joy and sorrow, engagement despite pain. Nicola finds resolve to honor Matteo by continuing to live and love.
Synthesis
The finale spans years into the 2000s. The Carati family continues: marriages, children, careers, losses. They honor Matteo's memory while building lives of meaning. Nicola continues his psychiatric work, helping others like Giorgia. The family endures through connection and love.
Transformation
2003: The family gathers together, now spanning three generations. They look at old photographs from 1966. The transformation is clear - they have lived through decades of joy and tragedy, yet remain connected. The "best of youth" was not innocence, but the fullness of living.