The First Beautiful Thing

Anna Nigiotti turns heads in the summer of 1971 when she is unexpectedly crowned the most beautiful mother at a beach resort in Livorno. Her husband's jealousy, the gossip of neighbours and the awkwardness felt by her young son Bruno turn that moment into a shadow that hangs over the Michelucci family for decades. Thirty years later, Bruno has built a life far from his home town and his past, working as a teacher without much enthusiasm. When his sister Valeria calls to tell him their mother is seriously ill, he returns to Livorno reluctantly, and the reunion forces him to reckon with the resentment and memories he has long avoided.

Paolo Virzì directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Francesco Bruni and Francesco Piccolo. It is the fourth of his feature films listed here, arriving between Ovosodo and Human Capital. Micaela Ramazzotti plays the younger Anna and Stefania Sandrelli the older one, while Valerio Mastandrea plays Bruno and Claudia Pandolfi plays Valeria; Marco Messeri and Fabrizia Sacchi also appear in a cast of 43 credited performers.

The film draws a strong but not unanimous response. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from 5,600 votes, and on TMDB 7.2 out of 10 from 529 votes, while its critics' rating stands lower at 6.6 out of 10 from 19 reviews.