Youth

At a Swiss resort at the foot of the Alps, surrounded by silence, beauty, and luxury, two elderly friends are taking a break. The Englishman Fred Ballinger, a famous composer and conductor, endures the diplomatic siege of the royal envoy, persistently refusing to perform at a concert at the personal request
of Elizabeth II. The American director Mick Boyle is struggling to finalize the production of his latest film, a testament he is working on with a team of young colleagues. The friends reflect on the past and the future, closely observing their own children and other hotel guests. Beneath the facade of inert splendor, passions boil, dramas unfold — life does not allow for passive participation and, in spite of their venerable years, pulls the contemplators into its cruel and beautiful whirlpool.
The novel-screenplay “Youth” served as the basis for the eponymous film by Paolo Sorrentino, first shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. The leading roles were brilliantly played by Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel.