Avere vent'anni (1978)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Fernando Di Leo

Writers:

Fernando Di Leo (screenplay)
Fernando Di Leo (story)

Release Date:

14 July 1978 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Lia and Tina are two beautiful girls who meet and realize that they have a lot in common. They are both young...

Plot Keywords:

Girl | Gang | Prostitution | Police | Sex

Cast

Gloria Guida	...	Lia
Lilli Carati	...	Tina
Ray Lovelock	...	Rico
Vincenzo Crocitti	...	Riccetto
Vittorio Caprioli	...	Nazariota
Licinia Lentini	...	Lesbian woman
Daniele Vargas	...	Prof. Affatati
Giorgio Bracardi	...	Commissario Maresciallo Zambo
Leopoldo Mastelloni	...	Arguinas
Roberto Reale	...	Head of rapists
Serena Bennato	...	Lesbian car driver
Daniela Doria	...	Patrizia
Raul Lovecchio	...	Vice-commissioner
Fernando Cerulli	...	Retired civil servant
Camillo Chiara

Also Known As:

Being Twenty (Europe: English title) (video box title)
To Be Twenty

Runtime:

94 min | Australia:90 min | 81 min (recut version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (2005) | Iceland:16 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

International Daunia Film

Soundtrack:

Avere vent'anni

Rather strange, but mostly likable.

Fernando Di Leo is a director that gets a lot of criticism; and most of it is unfair in my opinion as he's directed a lot of the best Italian crime movies of the seventies, as well as some other curious gems. To Be Twenty is something of a departure from his crime films and doesn't really fit into any of the main genre headings that were popular in seventies Italy; although at a stretch it could be described as a cross between a sex comedy and an exploitation flick. The film is slightly misguided and that is its main problem as on the one hand it's light and breezy, and on the other hand it actually tries to make some points...with mixed results. The plot focuses on two young girls who are both young, hot and angry that meet on a beach. They set off to hitch a lift together and so begins an odyssey as the pair try to create an existence for themselves in a world overridden with sex, perverts and drugs. They manage to find a place to stay but not everything goes to plan and before long, the girls find themselves living a nightmare.

The tone of the movie is one of the best things about it as the director excellently captures the hippy-style care free atmosphere through the two young girls. The film stars Gloria Guida and Lilli Carati; both of whom serve the movie well in the looks department, especially when their clothes come off, but don't exactly set the film on fire with great acting. However, luckily this is a film that doesn't need great acting to succeed. The plot flows well and the two girls provide likable characters that make the film fun to watch. It's not exactly plot heavy and the film basically follows the girls on their unplanned journey right up until we come to the tragic ending. The ending is actually rather strange as it doesn't fit the tone of the movie and actually looks more like something straight out of a roughie film. However, it is rather powerful and won't be forgotten in a hurry; and the reason for that is mostly down to the way we are made to like the characters throughout the film. Overall, this film probably won't be for everyone's taste; but if you like this sort of stuff, you could do worse.