At the beginning of “Hand of God,” Paolo Sorrentino’s semi-autobiographical movie
set in mid-1980s Naples, tall lanky Fabietto (Filippo Scotti, at far right) seems like a typical teenage kid. Forever plugged into his Sony walkman, he find himself staring slack-jawed at sexy young women, including his aunt-by-marriage Patrizia (Luisa Ranieri) who sunbathes in the nude. He spends Sundays with his eccentric neighbors and his parents (Teresa Saponangelo and Toni Servillo) who argue, play pranks on each other, and dream of owning a country home together. Most of all, he’s obsessed with the fact that soccer legend Diego Maradona is about to join the Naples football team.
It is his fixation with Maradona that spares him from a tragedy which upends his young life and that of his brother Marchino (Marlon Joubert). Is he grateful that the “hand of God” has allowed him to he survive? Just the opposite: he’s miserable. Vacantly staring out at the bay, he ponders his future. When a film crew comes to town, Fabietto gets his answer.
This movie is testament to the fact that film can provide an escape from a lousy reality. Not only is it thoughtful and lovingly paced (if somewhat languorous), but the city of Naples has never looked more inviting.
With Ciro Capano as Signore Capuano, the temperamental director who snaps Fabietto out of his funk, and Betty Pedrazzi as the Baronessa, an upstairs neighbor who gives him a life lesson that is tender and jolting. Oh, and cinematography that makes the film look as if it were bathed in olive oil. Grab a fresh ciabatta, and enjoy.