What may seem like just a movie can really be a treasure trove of cultural insight. Films shed light on cultural norms, societal values, and ways of seeing the world.
Plus, watching Italian movies in the original language is one of the best ways to work on your language skills, pick up a colloquialism or two, and attune your ear to the various Italian dialects. So if you want an excuse to curl up on the couch, here it is.
Whether you’re looking for a slapstick comedy, a tearjerker, or a moody drama, there’s a classic Italian movie for you to stream next.
La Dolce Vita (1960) directed by Federico Fellini
If you haven’t yet seen Federico Fellini’s classic, consider yourself lucky to be able to plunge into the iconic world of 1960s Rome for the first time. The newly restored edition was released in 2010 after undergoing 8,000 hours of work by Martin Scorsese’s film foundation.
The movie follows the wanderings of a tabloid journalist across a week in Rome, focusing especially on the extravagant nightlife of high society. A postwar classic, it embodies a bygone era of Italy’s rags-to-riches economic boom and Rome’s ephemeral heyday as a magnet for the elite and Hollywood celebrities.
Today, La Dolce Vita documents the Rome of popular imagination with its glamour and glitz, even if litter, aggressive seagulls, and traffic jams overrun much of the city today. Parts of Rome do still have this timeless allure, even if the opulent parties have faded.
The title, La Dolce Vita, is a stand-in for the Italian ethos of enjoying life's pleasures: “the sweet life” is an ideal which still exists today, whether it’s lingering over a long lunch or cherishing everyday conversations with your neighborhood barista.
Benvenuti al Sud (2010) directed by Luca Miniero
A playful comedy designed for easy watching, Benvenuti al Sud (Welcome to the South) only gets funnier the more you understand Italian culture. It’s the perfect primer on the famous north-south divide that continuously comes up in everyday conversation in Italy.
In the film, a postal worker from northern Italy is transferred to work in an office in the south, near Naples. He and his family are devastated at having to leave the north and fear the negative stereotypes of the “sud”. The comedy comes to a heartwarming end when prejudices are cast aside, and the postmaster is sad to eventually leave the small village community.
Though light-hearted, the film shows the very real cultural differences and the strongly held stereotypes and cliches that still exist. The moral of the story is to approach your new setting with an open mind – a lesson essential to anyone considering moving to a new country.
Fantozzi (1975) directed by Luciano Salce
The ultimate comedy in Italy, Fantozzi is a satirical cult film from the ‘70s that follows the hilarious misfortunes of the Italian “everyman”. Everything for Ugo Fantozzi, the unlucky Italian employee, seems to go wrong. Parodying the middle-class Italian, the movie follows Fantozzi through his daily life, from his chaotic family dinners to humiliating himself on a company ski trip.
In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s list of 100 Italian films that shape the country’s collective memory. Fantozzi is an important cultural cornerstone that you’ll frequently hear referenced. The slapstick comedy even gave rise to its own vocabulary: the commonly used Italian adjective fantozziano means to be as unlucky as Fantozzi.
The hilarity of Ugo’s relatable scenes of misfortune will help you mentally prepare to just laugh it off when dealing with Italy’s absurd bureaucracy and the inevitable embarrassing cultural mishaps.
C'è Ancora Domani (2023) directed by Paola Cortellesi
This evocative film debuted in 2023, outselling Barbie and Oppenheimer in Italy and becoming one of Italy’s top ten highest-grossing films ever.
C'è ancora domani (There’s Always Tomorrow), set in the 1940s, focuses on the struggles of women to gain rights and freedoms in postwar Italy. It follows Delia in her journey to escape an abusive marriage and pursue a better future for her daughter. Director Paola Cortellesi, who also plays Delia, has said the film was inspired by the stories of her grandmothers.
The movie powerfully conveys the social evolution of Italy in the past century, particularly around family and gender issues. Though set in the distant past, this film provides insight into the traditional family values and gender roles that continue to influence modern Italian society.
La Grande Bellezza (2013) directed by Paolo Sorrentino
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) is often called a modern response to La Dolce Vita (1960). If La Dolce Vita celebrated modern Italy’s zenith, La Grande Bellezza remarks on its decline.
This arthouse film by director Paolo Sorrentino, of Italian filmmaking legend and himself often compared to Federico Fellini, debuted in 2013 to much debate. Critics say it paints too harsh a picture, while admirers herald Sorrentino as the first to capture the zeitgeist of contemporary Italy and the juxtaposition of Rome’s beauty as eternal yet fleeting.
Like its predecessor, La Grande Bellezza follows a writer through Rome, remarking on society through the musings of an aging man reflecting on his life and his country.
One of the most poignant takeaways many take from the film is its effective portrayal of Italy’s juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane. In Italy, there is no separation between the spiritual world and modern life. Cocktail bars and historic basilicas exist side-by-side, and the hedonistic pursuits of life are just as treasured as religious rites.
Cinema Paradiso (1988) directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
A feel-good flick that’s sure to bring out bittersweet tears, this 1988 film about childhood, innocence, and friendship is as poignant today as it was at its debut.
In Cinema Paradiso, director Giuseppe Tornatore shares the story of his introduction to cinema as a child in small-town Sicily. The young Toto bonds with the local cinema projectionist in his village, who sparks his passion for films and becomes his lifelong friend.
This Italian classic shows the sweet side of life in Italy’s small towns that can still be found today. Many of Italy’s major pictures are centered around large cities, so you’ll appreciate this movie if you’re planning to move to a smaller community.
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