Giovanni Tortorici’s debut feature Diciannove (Nineteen) follows a young man striving to find his place through different cities, social groups, and institutions.

Leonardo leaves his hometown of Palermo, Sicily to join his sister up in London, and her tight-knit group of other young Italians. Not quite fitting in though, he realizes he needs a change, and looks up the top universities for literature, winding up back in Italy studying at the University of Siena. His new school is more intellectually challenging, but his sharp ideas contrast the institutional, set-in-tone knowledge of his professors, and he again devolves into a state of confusion, isolation, and inner rebellion. He continues his journey, stopping in Torino, then back home to Palermo, in a familiar setting now armed with greater knowledge.

His journey is not doom and gloom though, and Tortorici’s direction brings an optimism and freedom promised by new beginnings. The move to Siena in particular brings a rush of orchestral music, and the image of a smiling, hopeful Leo promises a newfound potential for this chapter of life.

At the film’s core is the natural, fully believable performance by Manfredi Marini as Leonardo, giving a largely interior performance, bottling in a thousand ideas at once, with glimmers of excitement, frustration, and anguish, never overplayed and always authentic.

This type of filmmaking, taking young people seriously and elevating their stories into thoughtful, artistic works is so refreshing to find. It is evocative of Edoardo Gabbriellini’s Holiday (also produced by Luca Guadagnino), a portrait of a young woman recently freed from prison, also in a state of isolation as she reacclimates back into society. Diciannove is another thoughtful, introspective portrait of the aimlessness and confusion of contemporary young adulthood.

Diciannove is an official selection of the 51st Seattle International Film Festival! Explore more info at siff.net/festival.