Indigo-Daisy

La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful), is one of my all time favorite films. I first saw it in 1998 after it won three academy awards. It left such an impression on me that I think back to it quite often, especially when facing difficult times in my life.

Roberto Benigni (who I think is a creative genius) plays the main character in the film. He is also the director and co-author with a passion for life that permeates throughout the entire movie.

The first half of the film is quite amusing and revolves around Roberto’s character (Guido) romancing the woman he is smitten with (Dora) played by Nicoletta Brachi. Guido would surreptitiously find ways to accidentally just happen to run into Dora. Playing as though the encounter was completely unplanned he would blurt out “Bongiorno Princepessa!” (Good Day my Princess). To this day it makes me smile when I think of this most endearing expression.

When Guido ultimately captures Dora’s affection and steels her away from the man she was betrothed to, you are left with a feeling of great triumph for Guido as he realizes he has won the heart of his one true love. After their courtship, the movie quickly reveals they have a son, and this is when the whole tone of the movie begins to change.

The second half of the film revolves around the family being swept off to a concentration camp on the birthday of their son Giosuè who is now about 6 years old. What makes this movie so profound is the immense love Guido has for his family and how he was able to find inside himself the power to never give up hope and ways to pass this incredible faith on to the ones he loves even as they were surrounded with haunting horrors.

The film alluded to the horrific events surrounding them; however, this was not a film about the holocaust. It was clearly a film about love and faith and finding peace even in the depths of despair. You came away from the movie with the realization that life is indeed a gift, and no matter what your circumstances are, you have the ability to choose to make it beautiful.