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Set in 1980s Naples, Italy, where Sorrentino himself was born, The Hand of God is a very personal autobiographical telling of the director's own teen years spent there growing up with his family and a whole bunch of his eccentric extended kin.
The Italian film has been well-received and already received an award at the Venice International Film Festival.
Plot outline of 'The Hand of God'
The Hand of God does not intend to tell a story. It merely documents. The shapelessly structured linear narrative of the movie documents the teen years of Sorrentino through the protagonist Fabietto. It is 1980s and all of Naples is ecstatic about the rumor that the soccer legend Diego Maradonna will be playing for the local team. Like any other teenage boy, Fabietto is also elated with the news and can't wait for the confirmation of it.
The movie revolves around Fabietto and his life as he tries to make sense of the happenings around him. He must find direction in his life after a tragedy occurs, one that throws his life haywire and leaves him feeling abandoned. The Hand of God deals with a number of themes like family, kinship, and the coming of age of a young boy who feels lost in the world.
What is the relevance of the title 'The Hand of God'?
In the 1980s, when Diego Maradonna came to Naples to play for the local team, he delivered an amazing performance that made history. No other player had managed to deliver 'The Hand of God' other than Maradonna- a goal that was made as if by God's hand itself. The movie takes its title from this event and also draws a metaphor with it.
Fabietto is a football fan. He wanted to catch the match where Maradonna would supposedly deliver 'The Hand of God'. Which is why he did not shift into his parent's new home. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurs. His parents die due to carbon monoxide poisoning that night and Fabietto is saved from this gruesome death only because he was not there with his parents. As an old relative later tells him, he was saved by 'The Hand of God'.
Catch Sorrentino's deeply personal autobiographical drama The Hand of God, now streaming on Netflix.
