It was the hand of God returns to Naples and prepares for the Oscar

Paolo Sorrentino presented his film It was the hand of God (in theaters from November 24 and on Netflix from December 15) in Naples. It couldn’t be otherwise. After his debut with The extra man the Oscar winner has returned to shoot his most personal film in his hometown. And yes, because behind the young protagonist (Filippo Scotti), there is the young Paolo and his family.

We are in the eighties. Fabietto is bewildered: he is overwhelmed by a family tragedy (the two parents – played by Toni Servillo and Teresa Saponangelo – die in a domestic accident) and from the desire to work in the cinema. AND Fellini to guide him, together with Antonio Capuano, and in some way also with his aunt Patrizia (Luisa Ranieri), the different girl of the family, the embodiment of creativity, she is the one who encourages him to follow his dream.

An intimate journey that Sorrentino decided to tell when he was fifty. “This film had been in my mind for many years and I found the courage to make it only now for unfathomable reasons”, explains the director and producer, “the right time had come, I wanted to return to Naples in the summer, it was almost a way to have fun from a period closed for everyone “.

Towards the second Oscar?

The film is about to get closer to Oscar (he was chosen to represent Italy). The Americans appreciated it because, according to the director, it is immediately recognizable, “we have feelings that belong to everyone: there are those who cry, those who laugh and those who recognize themselves in grief similar to mine”. in conclusion It was the hand of God is making its slow march towards Hollywood. Who knows if seven years after the statuette for The great beauty Italian cinema is ready for another Oscar. «We will see what happens», the director does not worry, «compared to seven years ago I am more aware of the mechanisms behind a victory: there are many uncontrollable variables that must coincide. It is a long, complicated process and then there are many good films ».

Maradona, Fellini and Troisi

Watching the film immerses you over the years eighty, in the ballistic magic of Maradona parading in the background of Fabietto’s story, in the protagonist’s gaze in which the love for cinema is glimpsed: of Fellini, of Capuano (who becomes a kind of father), but “above all of Massimo Troisi»Says Sorrentino. “It was the hand of God he owes his films which I have loved. Massimo is my tutelary deity ». And then he appeals to young people: «I hope young people watching It was the hand of God are encouraged to never abdicate an idea of ​​the future, even if as a teenager it may be invisible ». Fabietto docet.

The controversy over Naples from the third world

In the end Toni Servillo and his friend Paolo respond in their own way to an investigation de Le Figaro in which we speak of a Naples from the third world. «I deeply love this city», comments the actor, «I feel in constant debt with respect to the legacy it has left us artistically speaking. I always wish the best for Naples, and besides, I wouldn’t know how to live anywhere else in the world. I deeply love this third world ». “Naples has been doing very well for a long time», Concludes the director,« it is not easy for this city to become other than what it is ».