Paolo Sorrentino is an Italian director and screenwriter of film and television. Sorrentino has made a career, from his first collaboration as a co-writer of The Dust of Naples, choosing to do works that often center on Italy or Italians. The Hand of God is his most personal work and is autobiographical in nature, though it uses the character of Fabrietto Shisha (played by Filippo Scotti) as a stand-in for himself, providing Sorrentino a veil of distance. Viewers unfamiliar with Sorrentino’s work and history will be able to see the influences of Italian filmmakers like Fellini (who is almost a mythic figure in the film), and Capuano (played by Ciro Capano), who provides inspiration for a young Fabrietto and in real life served as a mentor to Sorrentino and was the director and one of the other co-writers of The Dust of Naples.
The film’s title is in part a reference to Argentine footballer Diego Maradona’s goal in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. During this time, Maradona was also a player for the Napoli team, something the characters in the film, and one can assume a young Sorrentino, were very excited about. However, while that is the obvious allusion in the title, it is not the only one. The film opens not with Fabrietto, despite being his coming-of-age story, but with his aunt Patrizia (played by Luisa Ranieri). What transpires in the opening sequence with Patrizia the man identifies himself as San Gennaro (patron saint of Naples), the Little Monk, and later at home with her abusive husband sets the stage for the film’s handling of sexuality, religion, and misogyny while also giving the film a hint of mysticism and additional meaning to the title.
Fabrietto is often quiet and observational, and early on, a fairly reactionary character being led by those around him. An unconventional choice, but one that works well for a film about a will-be filmmaker.
The film, although officially only semi-autobiographical plays like the recall of youth, especially in the depiction of the familiar relationships. Be it when your older sibling no longer has time for you (is in a relationship), the interactions that stand out about your parents (how they show their love, their fights, the games they play), or just how weird all you remember your extended family to be. I’ve spoken with guys who have sisters, and many of them recall them always being in the washroom during their childhoods. Based on the fact that their sisters had lives outside their houses, I know that wasn’t the case, but it’s how it felt, especially when sharing one washroom. In this film, Sorrentino plays that memory/feeling up for comedy by having the sister be an unseen figure (until the end) who is always in the washroom.
Naples is not often visited by travelers, just a port for people going to Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and Vesuvius/Pompeii. This film, with its stunning cinematography by Daria D’Antonio, did a wonderful job of painting the beauty of Naples. Hopefully, it will inspire people to take in the splendors of a city. A city that has more to offer than just great pizza (though the pizza is excellent). With noteworthy self-reflective biographical works this year, Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, the popular adage “you can never go home again” may need to be retired.
The Hand of God is available on Netflix and is Italy’s entry for Best International Feature Film for the 94th Academy Awards.