Italy has always excelled in various art fields, and even some Movies in Italian can be considered pieces of art.
So, do you want to improve your Italian and, in particular, your listening skills? You can do that by getting comfortable and enjoying an Italian movie!
Not only will you have fun, but you will learn a lot, discover idioms, everyday language expressions and practice your listening skills!
Certainly, there are many famous Italian movies and it is impossible to list them all. So, I decided to focus on the latest years, making a list of recent movies in Italian which you cannot miss!
So, what are you waiting for?
Go through my List of The Top 10 Recent Italian Movies and start learning Italian in the nicest possible way: comfortably sitting on your couch, eating popcorn!
1. La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty)
First, “The Great Beauty” by Paolo Sorrentino. This is surely one of the movies in Italian which made him famous all over the world.
Set in Rome, in the contemporary age. Jep Gambardella is a journalist, writer and literary critic who hangs out with a group of radical chic friends. They spend their evenings in lounges, and at parties, while emptiness and absence of interesting incentives oppress their lives.
Suddenly, two people interrupt the monotony of his existence: his ex-wife’s husband and a stripper with a pure heart, Ramona. Their stories are intertwined in the perhaps vain search for what Jep calls “The Great Beauty”.
Surely, what you will love about this film is the representation of Rome. Baroque, magnificent, decadent, and corrupt, the capitol becomes a gallery of characters first monstrous, then celestial. The main character slowly gets rid of his masks, of people, to go with what is “Essential”.
2. Il giovane favoloso (Leopardi)
In second position we find “Leopardi”, a 2014 movie by Mario Martone.
With its 71st Venice International Film Festival nomination, this is surely a Movie in Italian worthy of being seen. If you are passionate about Italian culture and literature you will learn a lot about Giacomo Leopardi.
Il giovane favoloso (“The fabulous young man”) is not only a careful representation of the most famous Italian poet’s life, it makes us relive the drama of his existence.
Indeed, through a “journey” full of feelings, Martone gives us the opportunity to meditate on the human condition. You can feel his desire of knowledge, of entering high society and his inability to adapt to life. Moreover, all the evocative shots will make you empathize with Leopardi’s feelings with a rare sensitivity.
For sure, the vision of this movie will change you. It is not only a powerful journey into the mind of one of the greatest Italian poets, but it is also an exploration of the individual and personal struggles affecting humanity.
After viewing this movie, you will be richer, emotionally and linguistically speaking!
3. Youth – La giovinezza (Youth)
Third place is another Sorrentino production: “Youth”, released in 2015. I had to list it as one of the Movies in Italian that you cannot miss!
The plot is simple. Fred and Mick are two old friends on vacation in an elegant hotel at the foot of the Alps. Here, they enjoy the company of Leda, Fred’s daughter. Every day, they spend time thinking about the future, observing with curiosity the lives of their children and the hotel guests.
4. L’arte della felicità (The Art of Happiness)
“The Art of Happiness” is a 2013 Italian animated movie in Italian. The director is Alessandro Rak, a rising star of Italian animation.
Sergio is a Neapolitan taxi driver. Every day, with his taxi, he takes his customers through the city in the rain. At the same time, he tries to come to terms with a painful loss: the death of his brother Alfredo, who has never returned from a trip to Tibet that began ten years earlier.
One after the other, a singer, a radio speaker, an old uncle, and other characters take turns on the seats of his taxi. To make matters worse, each of them gives him a trace of his missing brother.
Surely, it is not only an animated movie. It is a mix of colors, music, and feelings. You will walk through an unusual rainy Naples, ending with a sense of happiness and joy for life.
5. Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg)
Another movie in Italian that superhero lovers cannot miss is definitely: “They Call me Jeeg”. It is a 2015 film of Gabriele Mainetti, and it had great success in Italy.
The title comes from “Jeeg robot of steel” by Gō Nagai. Indeed, one of the main characters believes that Hiroshi Shiba, the hero of the series, exists in the real world. In fact, she identifies him with the main character of the movie.
Once again, it takes place in Rome. The thief Enzo Ceccotti, in order to escape the police, throws himself into the waters of the Tiber. Here, some radioactive substances give him an extraordinary power. Starting from that moment his life will never be the same…
Contrary to what one might expect, the story focuses on a totally unimaginable reality: poor people with no perspective other than trying to stay alive, abused girls, criminals looking for a crazy redemption…
6. Dogman
The list of the Best Movies in Italian continues with “Dogman”, a 2018 movie by Matteo Garrone.
First, you need to know that the movie recalls the “Canaro” crime. It was the murder of the criminal and amateur boxer Giancarlo Ricci, which took place in 1988 in Rome. The murderer was Pietro De Negri, known as “er canaro” ( “someone who has a dog” in the Roman dialect).
Marcello is a small and meek man who owns a dog grooming room. To make more money, he sells cocaine: this leads him to establish a murky friendship with Simone, a local criminal. However, Simone terrifies the locals with petty crimes and acts of violence, and Marcello cannot rebel. Taking advantage of his mild character, Simone ends up stealing and sending his innocent “friend” to prison.
During the Cannes Film Festival 2018, “Dogman” received positive reviews… You will not regret watching this movie!
7. Perfetti sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers)
Possibly one of the best Movies in Italian is “Perfect Strangers”. It is a 2016 comedy by Paolo Genovese and once again set in Rome.
A group of friends meets for dinner and decide to share messages and incoming phone calls on everyone’s cell phones. During the evening, secrets and lies come to light that endanger the stability of their friendship.
Surprisingly, the direction and acting in this Movie are impeccable. Moreover, despite the delicate situations, there is no lack of irony and even relaxed moments that will make you laugh.
8. Gatta Cenerentola (Cinderella The Cat)
Once again, another of the best Animated Movies in Italian is directed by Alessandro Rak: “Cinderella The Cat”. The title of the Movie is of course inspired by the homonymous fairy tale by Giambattista Basile and Roberto De Simone’s play.
However, the plot is undoubtedly revisited. Mia, orphan of a famous shipowner, is a prisoner of her stepmother and must submit to the abuses of six half-brothers. But a brave young man, friend of her deceased father, tries to save her and bring the law back to the city.
In a setting that isn’t at all fairytale or childish, “Gatta Cenerentola” re-proposes the famous fairy tale in its most distinguishable characters (the shoe, the stepmother, the stepsisters), but sets it in a dark and surreal Naples.
9. Allacciate le cinture (Fasten Your Seatbelts)
“Fasten Your Seat Belts” is a 2014 film directed by Ferzan Özpetek.
This time, the Movie is set in Lecce, where Elena works as a waitress in a bar and has a group of friends with whom she spends her days. One day, by chance, she meets Antonio, uneducated and apparently homophobic and racist. The two try to resist the attraction that pushes them towards each other.
Also, the music is noteworthy: the original music of the film is composed by Pasquale Catalano. In addition to the music of Catalano, the soundtrack includes the song “A mano a mano” (hand by hand) by Riccardo Cocciante in the version sung by Rino Gaetano, that is in the trailer of this Movie.
10. Tutta colpa di Freud (All Freud’s Fault)
The last of the top 10 Best Movies in Italian is “All Freud’s Fault”, a 2014 film directed by Paolo Genovese.
Francesco Taramelli is a middle-aged analyst struggling with the problems of his three daughters. The oldest is a bookseller who falls in love with a thief, the middle one is a lesbian who decides to become straight, the youngest is an eighteen-year-old who goes nuts for a fifty-year-old.
In addition, you will be interested to know that a TV series was also made, starring the famous actor and comedian Claudio Bisio.
So, this could be another great series to watch and to add to your list of 30 Italian TV Shows You Can Watch In The US !
This was the list of 10 Most Recent Movies in Italian that had the greatest impact in recent years in Italy in terms of the public and critics’ favor.
Enjoy!
