Il Posto
When I watch films from a certain era, I never cease to be amazed.
The attention given to the protagonists, their glances, their emotions, their laughter, is such that you find yourself swept up in the life of a young man trying with all his might to avoid falling into a trap.
To me, Il Posto represents something indefinite: a place where we all eventually end up, and within which we risk being locked away forever.
Life keeps ticking away, and you keep losing: opportunities, connections, time.
You become part of a machine that only pretends to see you; you lose ambition, and your sole interest narrows down to the next desk promotion.
The story between the two main characters is pure art. It is a relationship made of fragments, of encounters punctuated and constrained by the inevitable workday, a search that allows the protagonist to stay in touch with his own humanity.
The family dynamics, despite the brief focus given to them, are incredible: the lack of communication, the hollow connection with the parents... the constant gesturing just to avoid speaking...
It is mind-blowing how a film that seems so simple on the surface can be so profoundly beautiful.
A monumental film.