Hated it. I wish I didn't, but I did.

I was very sad because I hated Youth so vehemently. And I was really hoping to like it as I liked The Great Beauty which really moved me. Which is the strange thing, because I didn't like everything about The Great Beauty, but what it did was it seeped inside of me and by the end it profoundly moved me by saying something I truly felt about life.

Conversely, I honestly felt Youth had nothing genuine to say. Every thing about it seemed shallow, contrived and meaningless to me. I can't understand how it could be so different; opposite...?! I may have walked out (and two people in the screening I was in did, while another one checked her phone the whole time...which I'd usually criticise, but I can empathise I suppose here) but for the fact that I was watching the film in a gap between two places I had to be. For at least the last hour of the film I felt this scream inside my head and I do not know how I kept myself from screaming out loud!

I just found the film... had nothing to say. It got me in a sort of negative place to begin with because it made me think of a number of senior citizens (of which, only on watching the film did I realise there had been numerous of) who had done things such as lock me in buildings, call me certain names, make me sit on their knees and once, instead of kissing my cheek, sucking my ear... because they seemed to assume that because a... at the earliest of these I was still a teenager... girl was talking to them or would smile at them, it must mean I wanted to... well...!! And I assume most girls must have experienced this kind of thing as I am not attractive, so! Anyway, it wasn't that the film made me think my own experiences that was depressing... but that this aspect seemed such a shallow viewpoint of ageing. I was still not really annoyed by the film at this point though.

My real issue came later on though. All of the characters seemed to just say such shallow, daft things that kept making me roll my eyes. It was so bizarre. The film is beautifully shot and there are some brilliant performers in there... and I think everyone is acting well... but I felt absolutely nothing. I felt sad some of these actors and actresses who I love were associated with this. When they had scenes were they had to for example cry I was actually so unmoved I found it sort of irritating/false to watch them acting as though moved when there seemed no logic to why they would be... Really hard to explain. I didn't care about Harvey Keitel's character in the climax. And I love Keitel. I find him at his best to be so soulful an actor. And Paul Dano. I thought he was great. But his stupid story about the robot film and the girl who had seen the other film - so stupid and trivial. And most bizarre of all his decision to decline that acting role..!! I mean... really......................... And I love Rachel Weisz too... But just whywhywhy?

And then, it isn't that relevant but Michael Caine was very unconvincing as a conductor which since I am a musician (and since music is supposed to be the thing he responds to) is a thing that irks me when films get wrong (I realise this may not be an issue for many) and the stupid music I found utterly unmoving and in fact laughable in itself. A simplistic, emotionless composition whose Operatic elements seemed to be about a mix of trite love and Orgasms..?? Well, I suppose it was rather fitting given the themes of the film hung similarly shallow.

Even though visually it looked good and there was some good acting in there, there is literally nothing Youth could have done to make me detest it more. It is weird because writing about it I can't quite explain why I hated it so. But I find it hard to conceive that anyone could love it or feel moved by it. Particularly I found it hard to imagine how anyone who wasn't an aged or ageing man themself could find anything to appreciate in the film.

Did you share my pain while suffering through this? Or, did you perhaps adore it? If you did adore the film, I'm curious to know what it made you feel and why you loved it. Aaanyway, apologies: this is a rant I know, but oh I am so sad I hated this film so much.