Giuseppe Tornatore directs Philippe Noiret, Marco Leonardi and Salvatore Cascio in this Italian coming-of-age movie that charts the friendship between a young boy and an aging projectionist who works at the titular movie theatre.

Bumped up to a 10 out of 10. I think the first two times I saw it as a teenager I was a bit stymied by the sentimental aspects. Now I just get lost in the romantic sweep. At what age does nostalgia for a lost time, a time and place I never existed in, become potent? A beautiful film… there’s something pure, primordial about. The strength and simplicity of even the opening moments set the tone. Every shot is clean but full of depth and implicit storytelling. It feels like the shots of Sicilian lemons and billowing curtains are there to invoke the senses cinema often ignores – taste, smell, touch. And then we are off. Just magical. And with added bonus that the end credits leave glimpses of the lengthier director’s cut… making the whole thing seem like a half imagined dream.

10

Perfect Double Bill: Jacquot De Nantes (1991)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/