May 15, 2019 – Amid the classical beauty of the Eternal City, a cynical aging party goer takes stock of his life. He ponders goals and achievements and long lost opportunities for love. This masterpiece of filmmaking, written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino seems at first to be a haphazard collage of images and sounds, but it somehow all fits together perfectly.

This is a film filled with nuggets of wisdom in the endlessly sharp and witty conversations, stark images of life and death, the techno beat of nightclubs, conga lines, endless all-night parties, contrasting with a cappella choir music and quiet strolls through the streets past the ancient buildings and public art that is Rome. It is filled with fascinating characters, both the shallow and the profound among a wide circle of Rome's elite.

At the center of all this is the world weary party animal Jep Gambardella (played by Toni Servillo of “Gomorra”) a one-time author who writes magazine articles about celebrities. His goal was to be the king of high society in Rome, and he has succeeded. He is invited to all the best parties. His wit, sophistication, detailed knowledge of everyone in high society and self-deprecating charm make him the center of conversations.

Yet as he wanders home alone early in the morning after another party, he often thinks back to his youth, and a chance encounter with a beautiful, mysterious, aloof woman by the shore of the sea. When asked why he stopped writing after his first well-received book, he says that he has since been looking for the great beauty, but never found it. This simple statement reveals the truth that he did, indeed, find the great beauty in that mysterious woman once. That was enough for his first and only book, but he never found it a second time, despite attending thousands of parties filled with beautiful women.

At the age of 65, Jep has finally decided he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do. The question is, what does he want to do? Jep is clearly envious of a married couple he visits. This couple have the love and companionship he lacks in his own life, but is that what he is really looking for?

Increasingly, the party scene in Rome is shifting towards the younger crowd, but Jep doesn't want to give up his party throne just yet. A younger woman challenges him in conversation at a party, and Jep effortlessly destroys her by pointing out the emptiness of her life and her many failings, while also admitting his own.

As he walks alone in Rome, he is surrounded by beauty. Does he find the great beauty he is looking for? Perhaps. The movie does hold out some hope in that regard, it seems. As he travels this lonely path, he does share some of his secrets about the hidden side of Rome with Ramona (Sabrina Ferilli) the 42-year-old stripper who is the daughter of an old friend. Together, they escape from a party to secretly visit the Palazzo Barberini at night with the aid of a Jep's mysterious friend, Stephano (Giorgio Pasotti) who carries a case full of keys unlocking the doors to such places.

Jep seems to know all the secrets of Rome and its hidden places. We see palazzos, terraces, famous places and secret gardens in this film. Even the credits of the film are beautiful. Instead of white on black, the credits roll down scenes of Rome as seen from the water. Music in the film is a cacophony of oppressive techno beat nightclub music interspersed with the soaring sounds of religious choirs.

The mood of the film swings from lively party scenes to a funeral in which Jep cries while carrying a casket. His tears, probably over the loss of someone other than the body inside the casket, break one of his own cynical rules for attending funerals he had pointedly outlined just a few minutes earlier.

This film is less the grand sweep of Rome and a man's life, as it is bits and pieces of those things. There are also hints of hope amid scenes of despair, emptiness and beauty. Religion is a part of this movie too, religious scenes, music and imagery abound. Jep almost comically tries to elicit spiritual wisdom from elite members of the Roman Catholic Church. In the end, his search for meaning must be a self-guided tour.

What does all this amount to? I can't say, but I found it very beautiful, funny, sad and moving, filled with truth and tenderness. This is illustrated largely through the great performance of Toni Servillo, who is very convincing as a man faced with so much artifice, yet who always gives open, truthful answers to those who question him. On the surface, Jep seems to be a decadent man in a decadent city, yet there is a lot more to him than that. He seems hard and cynical, but is also emotionally vulnerable. This film rates an A.

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