The Job

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dave s Ermanno Olmi's Il Posto is a quietly touching film about a young Italian boy's journey from childhood into adulthood, told over the period of a few weeks. No longer attending school and in need of a job to help support his impoverished family, Domenico commutes from his village to Milan in order to attend a job interview. Hired by a large corporation as a lowly messenger, he becomes infatuated with the newly hired typist Antonietta, giving him hope that adulthood may not be as grim as anticipated. Il Posto has a languid pace, filled with lengthy takes and minimal dialogue, allowing the viewer to contemplate Domenico's thoughts and draw conclusions from expressions instead of excessive verbiage. The film works because it is so relatable, forcing the viewer to reminisce about their own transition to a more responsible adult world, filled with obligations. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review paul d The phrase "still waters run deep" applies to Il Posto. The film is a quiet, calm but profoundly sensitive story of a teenager's first job and first love. It is also a window onto the everyday struggles of people in post war Italy, and a social commentary on life in a big company, and maybe on life in general. Using non-professional actors, long takes, and close-ups that silently portray the full range of emotions, Olmi takes us right into the daily lives of ordinary people. A masterpiece. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Relaxing and humanistic approach by Olmi here in a coming of age story, where spoiler alert, adult life is a big, let down. Funny to see Olmi’s depiction of the mundane life of Italy betwixt the youth bursting at the seams to experience more. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/23/20 Full Review scott s A well crafted coming of age story about finding hope in a dehumanizing world. Olmi's depiction of people starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder and the grueling trials one face is a sheer reflection on the evils of society while trying to find love in hope in hopelessness. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a quiet film, but it leaves a lasting impression. For the good of his family, a young man (Sandro Panseri) has had to abandon his dream of continuing his education to become a surveyor, and hopes to get a job at a big company that's hiring in Milan. From the moment he steps into a crowded room of other applicants, we feel for him. We can already probably appreciate the anxiety associated with the life transition he's going through, but here it's amplified by the dehumanization of the process and the drones who run it. This continues on when he gets a job there, after which he's put at the same desk with an older worker, and finds that his actual duties are somewhat nebulous. It's so absurd as to be comical, especially as he encounters various forms of petty behavior and bureaucracy in the office. Lightening the mood a bit is a love interest; he sees a young woman also interviewing (Loredana Detto), and has lunch with her. Even here we sense his awkwardness as he tries to make conversation, and then later struggles to re-connect with her. Panseri registers his feelings very well, often without speaking a word, and it helps that he has such a baby face. The scene where he attends a New Year's Eve party, showing up when only an older couple is present, sits through the somewhat cheesy entertainment, and is cajoled to dance by some kindly older women feels incredibly realistic, and of course this is what director Ermanno Olmi was going for. Another memorable scene occurs after a worker dies, freeing up a desk for him, but everyone then vies for a better desk, and shifts positions. This may be a little exaggerated, but it is how it feels sometimes in a corporate setting, and the film made me think of Bob Dylan's words "twenty years of schoolin' and they put you on the day shift." There's a deadening of the soul that's taking place here, and while we suspect that the young man will be ok as his life plays out, there is a tinge of sadness in it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review s r A different look at youth coming of age in 1960s Italy. It was a quirky one to be sure, but a fascinating time piece and a compelling tale. So much of this was without dialogue which made it that much more effective. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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