Five Italian Films You Must See

One of the best ways to improve your language skills is by watching movies in Italian. There are a number of classic movies, some older, some more recent, to choose from that can introduce you to a wide array of vocabulary, accents, even some dialect, and bits of cultural insight. In this article, we’ve selected five films we particularly recommend and close with some tips on watching movies in a foreign language.

La vita è bella

Of all the films on this list, this one might be the most famous and recognizable to non-Italians. La vita è bella, or Life is Beautiful in English, stars the famous actor and comedian, Roberto Benigni, and came out in 1997. It takes place at the outbreak of World War II, and features an Italian Jewish man in Arezzo who falls in love with a woman and has a child. Later the three of them are taken off to a concentration camp. The movie is at once touching, funny, and heartbreaking, and manages to blend comedy and drama into a timeless story.
The film was a huge success, and won two European Film Awards, as well as three Academy Awards.
La vita è bella is worth watching because of Benigni’s phenomenal acting, and the stress on the importance of humanity and the lengths parents will go to in order to protect their children.

Mediterraneo

Like La vita è bella, the 1991 film Mediterraneo is also set during World War II, though with a very different focus. A group of Italian soldiers are brought to a Greek island to defend it, though once their ship is attacked, they become abandoned. They soon meet the Greek inhabitants and fall into a peaceful existence on the island.
The year it released, Mediterraneo was the highest-grossing foreign language film in the U.S. It generally received great critical praise but, like the above film, also some criticism for its lighter portrayal of wartime topics.
Mediterraneo is worth watching because it displays the feelings of many soldiers during World War II, who did not want to fight but rather go on living their quiet lives.

Rose Island

Of the films mentioned in this list, this one is the most recent. Released in 2020, Rose Island is inspired by the true story of an engineer in the ‘60s who constructed his own island off the coast of Rimini and declared it a nation. The film is set up as a frame narrative, beginning with the protagonist, Giorgio, speaking to the Council of Europe for help in protecting his island, and then flashing back to how his island came about.
The film mostly received praise and is worth watching because of its comedic tone, quirky and unique topic (especially considering it’s based on a true story), and just how far some people will go to achieve their dreams.

Non ci resta che piangere

Non ci resta che piangere —Nothing Left to Do But Cry, in English— once again stars Benigni, and is, without a doubt, one of the funniest and most beloved of Italian movies. The plot follows two friends, Mario and Saverio, who on accident end up in the year 1492. What ensues is peppered with hilarious and iconic moments, from Saverio’s attempt to court a rich young woman, their meeting Leonardo da Vinci, and the classic toll booth soon. Much of the script was improvised, playing up the characters’ natural chemistry on-screen.
Non ci resta che piangere is worth seeing for those who are looking for something lighthearted and comedic. It is a movie that doesn’t take things too seriously, but at the same time, the humor is smart.

I laureati

Translated to The Graduates, I laureati is a 1995 film directed and written by Leonardo Pieraccioni, a well-known director, actor, and comedian from Florence. It features four university students in their thirties in Florence who don’t take their studies—or life—very seriously. Suddenly, though, certain things happen that make them reflect on their life choices. Since the film was shot on-location in Florence, it can be particularly fun to watch for those who have visited or even lived there.
I laureati is worth watching if you love Florence and would like to hear some of the dialect from there, along with a fun comedy.

Best tips for watching Italian films

When it comes to watching foreign language films, your natural instinct is probably to put on English subtitles. Even at lower levels, though, it is best to watch with Italian subtitles or—if you’re more confident in your language abilities—no subtitles. With English subtitles, you might think you’re hearing the Italian, but in reality, you are still processing in English. And while Italian subtitles are better, the goal would ultimately be no subtitles so you are activating your listening skills rather than reading ones.
It is true that there are many Italian movies and shows that utilize strong accents or even dialects, such as Neapolitan. (Non ci resta che piangere, above, is one such). While this can make the movie more challenging to watch, it is good practice for actual living in Italy, where accents and dialects can change rapidly even within the same region.
Something else that can help is familiarizing yourself with the plot of the story ahead of time. If available, you can read a short plot summary in English online (or test those Italian reading skills and read it in Italian). If a friend has seen it, he or she could tell you about it too. Even simply reading the premise ahead of time and understanding the genre and tone of the movie can help.

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered just five of the many good and classic Italian movies that are available. You can find many of these and others, including T.V. shows, on your preferred streaming service, depending on where you live. Watching media content in Italian is a great way to get used to hearing Italian naturally spoken.