The Hand of God (2021)

A semi-autobiographical tale of the director’s life, the film follows Filippo Scotti as a teenaged loner living in 1980s Naples. The first half establishes the relationships and quirks among his extended family members and neighbors, a group of mean-spirited, soccer-loving Italians. Then tragedy strikes and Scotti’s character is suddenly forced to grow up. That middle moment is the best part of the film with real tenderness, affection, and heartbreak shown by the characters. The first part is grossly littered with moments of making fun of others and generally treating people horribly. I’ve probably just seen too many male coming of age stories to really get behind the objectifying of women and adults taking sexual advantage of boys to appreciate the changes that the character goes through. The Italian scenery is gorgeous at least.

Oscar Nomination: Best International Feature Film