La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful) (1997)

Have you ever been in that situation where there is never the perfect word that describes a film - or anything - and you stand there for five minutes staring off into the distance searching through your vocabulary for anything to describe it? Yeah, so imagine yourself in that situation over a comedy about the Holocaust.

After thinking for I don't know how long, I have found the perfect-ish word. Risk.

I don't know how anyone would dare. This film could have been tasteless and offensive and horrific to the point you would want to shoot the DVD player with a rifle. So how did it pull it off?

First of all, I wouldn't say it was funny - more that it was merry. Meaning sweet, innocent, happy. That sums up all three main characters very nicely.

Secondly, I love the way the son remains ignorant of any danger or death. It shows that the film can be merry and sweet and innocent despite everything brewing underneath the sugary sweet layer of reassurance.

I think the loveliest part though is when he and his son reach the mother through loving announcements on the microphone while no one is looking, and music, giving hope to her. I really could have cried at that.

The ending is fantastic, to say the least. The ending is so satisfying; so beautiful; so happy that it wipes away any stain of tragedy that befalled the family. I could have also cried at that too.

I give this a four star because it isn't the type of film I would watch. However, the admiration it recieves from me will never end. What could have been a disturbing and truly horrific film was made to be merry and sweet and innocent. It truly is the biggest risk in cinema history.