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Happy as Lazzaro
Lazzaro felice
2018 128 min France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland PG-13 12+
★7.9
Drama, Fantasy
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Trailers
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Description
Purehearted teen Lazzaro is content living as a sharecropper in rural Italy, but an unlikely friendship with the marquise’s son will change his world.
Starring
Adriano Tardiolo
Actor
Agnese Graziani
Actor
Alba Rohrwacher
Actor
Awards
European Film Awards 2018
— Student Award (EUFA)
Cannes Film Festival 2018
— Best Screenplay
European Film Awards 2019
— Audience Award
European Film Awards 2018
— Best Director
European Film Awards 2018
— Best Actress
Cannes Film Festival 2018
— Best Screenplay
Cannes Film Festival 2018
— Palme d'Or
European Film Awards 2018
— Best Screenplay
Key opinion
Lazzaro Felice is a poignant, allegorical fairy tale that blends magical realism with social critique to explore the nature of goodness in a changing world. While many celebrate its lyrical, visually stunning homage to Italian classicism, some viewers find the slow pacing and the protagonist's extreme passivity to be distancing or frustrating.
| Acting | Adriano Tardiolo’s performance is a cornerstone of the film, anchoring the story with a grounded, non-verbal simplicity that perfectly embodies the titular character's innocence. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography employs a rich, film-based aesthetic that masterfully contrasts the warm, pastoral tones of the feudal village with the cold, alienating palette of the modern urban environment. | |
| Screenplay | Alice Rohrwacher’s screenplay effectively weaves biblical parallels with modern social themes, creating a thought-provoking parable about exploitation and human dignity. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is a subject of debate, with some viewers finding the deliberate, contemplative tempo immersive while others feel it creates a disconnect, particularly during the transition between the two halves. | |
| Theme | The characterization of Lazzaro’s extreme, unthinking goodness is divisive; some interpret his passivity as a profound, holy martyrdom, while others criticize it as an unrealistic lack of agency that makes his fate feel unearned or absurd. |