Ecce bombo

Made during a turbulent time in Italy, Nanni Moretti’s second feature film and first big success explores young people’s existential and social crises following the protests of 1968. The film follows Michele — the director’s alter-ego — a young man who considers himself politically aware yet feels lost and out of synch with the world around him. Moretti shows us meetings between equally directionless friends, minor family conflicts and trivial conversations, blending  introspection with humorous social critique. The result is an ironic, melancholic portrait of a generation trying to reconcile ideals and reality, and whose dilemmas echo into the present day.