Youth (at the Hop on Friday, Feb. 19), starring such stalwarts as Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Jane Fonda, is a gentle crescendo of emotional realization. Well respected composer Fred Ballinger (Caine) is now retired, and relaxing in the Swiss Alps. Alongside his friend Mick Boyle (Keitel), a screenwriter without inspiration, Ballinger settles into the mundane. Paolo Sorrentino’s movie seems to suggest that the monotony of life contains the secret to inspiration, as Ballinger pessimistically observes the foolish world around him.
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel in “Youth.”
Yet there is something deeper within Youth. Perhaps beginning with Caine’s composer directing mother nature, upon a stump, conducting the meandering cows in the Swiss country side, Youth displays an inner charm alongside its unabashed love for classical music.
The film’s music is in no way lost, and in fact adds a deeper layer to the film. While rediscovering his life through simplicity, Ballinger is called upon by royalty. The Prince of England has fallen in love with Ballinger’s Simple Songs, a beautiful collection of arrangements which include the Oscar-nominated Simple Song #3.
The song’s actual composer, David Lang, who just might walk across the Oscars’ stage on Sunday, Feb. 28, has already won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy award for other work. Lang’s piece, a hauntingly simple musical reflection of love, supports Youth brilliantly. Performed by international stars Sumi Jo (soprano) and Viktoria Mullova (violin), the confluence of powerful voice and chilling strings reportedly brought director Paolo Sorrentino to tears. Alongside Earned It, Writing’s on the Wall, Manta Ray and Til It Happens to You, the other nominees for Best Original Song, Simple Song #3 sounds singular in its striking simplicity.
I feel complete
I lose all control
I lose all control
I respond
I feel chills
I wake
I know on those lonely nights
I know on those lonely nights
Still image from “Youth.”
Sums Jo’s sublime vocalizations create an atmosphere of longing around these simple lyrics. Simple Song #3 almost perfectly captures the ordinary yet intense desire of love, perhaps even more than the movie itself. Together, along with the gentle performance of its fictional composer by Michael Caine, Youth becomes an even more hauntingly beautiful experience. While Youth will not get any golden recognition this month, David Lang could prove that beauty comes in the simplest forms. Make sure to check out Youth at the Hop on Friday, Feb. 19, and Simple Song #3 at the Oscars.
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