the audience applauded

Powerful

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

touching, beautiful, impressive. circle of childhood in the impact with adults universe. result - a kind of cruel poetry. it is not original story. only special. for the admirable performance of Mattia Di Pierro and Giuseppe Cristiano. for the Italian flavor and precise science of details. for the portraits of each character. for the powerful impression of an old theme who gives in this case splendid nuances. a film about solitude. and freedom. about decisions and cowardice. about wise choice and Christianity in a not usual note. a film like a large open window. impressions, images, delicate end. a film like a clock because it can be victim of many snares. but the art of Gabriele Salvatores, the script as work of Niccolo Ammaniti gives force and seduction to film step by step. because each event can be predictable. but the surprise remains in each scene in a extraordinary measure.

I found this a very engaging film with some very interesting characters and an intriguing story line. It's beautifully shot; making the most of the landscape, showing off the wide open spaces of the region. There is also some nice close-up work in which we get to see many of the small creatures that inhabit the fields. All the performances were excellent; particularly Giuseppe Cristiano; he really held the thing together with some great work! Over all, I can safely say I enjoyed this one although I did find it a little predictable towards the end but I think it's still worth a look.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 7.9/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

You will draw a clear sense of this gripping story from the many other excellent reviews on this site. What I want to comment on is the most amazing cinematographic depiction of HEAT ever brought to the silver screen. I've never experienced anything like it! The movie is set against the backdrop of mid summer in southern Italy - filmed in Potenza. This is the wheat-belt of Italy, and man is it hot. Every scene, every detail draws you back to that essential point - it is molto caldo. The crackle of the wheat sheaths blowing in the hot wind; the rasp of the ants crawling across the burnt dust under the wheat; the rattle of the fan in the dark kitchen, blowing across the sweat-beaded chest of a woman in a loose peasant dress. Pulsating, palpable heat. The movie should have won an Oscar for this artistic genius. It is worth seeing for this reason alone, and yet it only the setting for a terrific, compelling, disturbing story. One of the best films I have ever seen.

Predictable and uninteresting. Lack of story cannot be helped by pompous music and an abundance of golden fields (you get sick of them) with hedgehogs, frogs, owls, ants and other animals just making the scenery too perfect. If it would have been an American movie it would have been plain crap. The Italian language and environment makes it somewhat worth seeing. Its hard to find really good Italian films. Ladri di biciclette, nuovo cinema paradiso, il postino and la vita è bella are the only ones I've found so far. (I don't really care for older Italian films because they really have aged to much to be enjoyable.)