In his new film, Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino tells of a youth in Naples in the 1980s: “The Hand of God” has been nominated for the European Film Prize.
Berlin – When Diego Maradona moved to SSC Napoli, around 40 years ago it electrified the fans of the football club, which was threatened with relegation.
One of them was the young Paolo Sorrentino, who much later won an Oscar with his intoxicating drama “La Grande Bellezza – The Great Beauty”. In general, Sorrentino’s current film is a very personal film by the Italian director: “The Hand of God” tells of a youth in Naples in the 1980s.
A return to Naples
“The Hand of God”, as the film title is translated based on Maradona’s famous saying, focuses on the young Fabietto and his family. The work, for which Sorrentino returned to his hometown Naples, takes the perspective of the teenager and introduces the eccentric family members: the grim grandma who wears a fur coat even in midsummer, the sexy aunt and Fabietto’s mother, the others like to prank plays. Toni Servillo, who has shot several times with Sorrentino, can be seen as the teenager’s father.
The fact that Maradona switched to the local soccer club during this time only played a marginal role at first. Instead, the focus is more on the exuberant atmosphere and how Fabietto drifts through the city and the summer. It’s about growing up, finding your own way and first sexual experiences.
But then Fabietto really wants to see a home game with Maradona and doesn’t go to the mountains with his parents – where they perish. The story has parallels to Sorrentino’s life: the 51-year-old lost his parents in a very similar accident. “The Hand of God” is not only a nostalgic look back at a long time gone by, but also a homage to Sorrentino’s family.
The Hand of God, Italien, USA 2021, 130 Min., FSK oA, von Paolo Sorrentino, mit Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Marlon Joubert dpa
