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Life is Beautiful

My mother had to convince me to watch this movie. She was in the middle of telling me how my generation doesn't know anything about good movies and after naming Ferris Bueller's Day off she told me I had to watch Life is Beautiful. I couldn't have been more disinterested especially when I found out the movie was made before I was born and had subtitles! The film was released in 1997 and was written by Roberto Benigni and Vincenzo Cerami. Roberto Benigni also directed the film and cast his wife Nicoletta Braschi to play his wife in the film. Other actors include Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano, Horst Buccholz, Marisa Paredes, Sergio Bustric, and Amerigo Fontani. The film won multiple awards to include several Oscars, Critics Choice Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. The movie cost approximately $20M to make.

From the moment this movie began Guido played by Roberto Benigni had me hooked. I was laughing at his silly moments but also invested in seeing him win over his Princess. I almost didn't realize the backdrop of this film was during the Nazi regime. I was watching a love story about the love Guido had for his elders, his people, his wife, his son, and for life. His use of humor to deflect obviously serious situations and keep his family safe made me admire him as a man. Its impossible to pick a favorite scene. The movie moves in chunks in time. At one point you are watching Guido fall in love with Dora and hes crashing a party on a green horse to rescue her from a life she clearly she doesnt want. In the next moment hes living a life with his wife, son, and uncle and then so quickly it all comes to an end.

I didn't know what this movie was about when I sat down to watch it. I didn't expect to stay awake the entire time and I certainly did not expect the ending. I just knew after Guido spent all this time making his son believe they were on an adventure that he would get out with his family. The scene where the Nazis enter the bunks where he is hiding his son and terrible things are being said he convinces his son they won a part of this imaginary game. I was watching thinking how hard must it have been for him to be worried about his family and how scared he must have been. He was so selfless and loved his son so much he put all of this aside and continued to make his sons life the best it could be under the circumstances. It struck me how I was just laughing not long ago at Guidos same antics and now I felt sad watching him.

I find subtitles distracting and I don't love foreign films for this reason. Benignis acting for me is to be admired. He takes comedy and creates a connection I wish I could make as an aspiring actor. At times I found I understood what he was saying without knowing exactly what the words were. It seemed to me all of the other actors while amazing in their own right were there to allow Guido to tell us this story and give us a message.

The film received critical acclaim all over the world but not everyone was happy with it. Many people felt it was insensitive to make light of such a serious matter and it was offensive to victims and survivors of the Holocaust. I understand why people might feel this way but I did not see it this way. I saw it as a great act of love and a lesson in life. Benigni made me love Guido and the attachment I had to him made me angry at the outcome of the movie. It took me several days to accept that he did not survive. It took me watching the movie several more times to really understand the entire vision he had for this film goes right back to the title- Life is Beautiful. Whether life ends too soon, or we get an eternity we must make the best of it in all circumstances. We could be laughing one moment and crying the next but what Guido leaves behind for his son is the most important thing he could have done with his life. It turns out maybe my mom was right, my generation certainly does have so much to learn.

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