So I thought the whole  time this was an Italian film but in fact it’s an English language film starring a whole roster of recognizable Hollywood stars. In fact this is a film directed by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, whose La Grande Bellezza I loved a couple of years ago. This one is set almost entirely within the confines of a luxurious hotel in the Swiss Alps and it’s no less impressive a work.

Retired composer Fred Ballinger spends the summer in a resort in Switzerland as he has done for the past twenty years though this time he is unaccompanied by his wife. Also there is his long-time friend director Mick Boyle who is there with his team to brainstorm for a new film. An emissary from the British Queen requests that Fred conduct one of his compositions for a performance but Fred refuses. This gets the attention of actor Jimmy Tree who notes that like himself, Fred is remembered for one single popular work while the rest of his output is forgotten. While there, Fred’s daughter Lena is divorced by her husband who also happens to be Mick’s son. It is doubly humiliating as the husband has left her for a popular pop star. Other colorful characters at the resort include a monk who supposedly can levitate, a mysterious couple who never speak to each other, a very overweight Diego Maradona and the most recent Miss Universe.

As you can probably guess from its clever title, this is once again another film about aging. There’s a lot going on here with all the different characters and their different perspectives but the common theme is age and the concerns of life. Fred considers himself retired and wants the world to forget him but continues to compose music in his own head. On the other hand Mick seems desperate to always be making another film even as he bills each successive one as the one definitive testament of his career. Their long friendship is another subject, yet despite all the years that has passed, Fred cannot help but think about a girl that both of them loved sixty years and his suspicion that Mick had slept with her. The perspectives of their advanced age is contrasted by other young people, a masseuse who dances by herself, uncaring that it is only to a video game; a little boy who happens to practise the violin playing Fred’s famous composition; and Miss Universe who is delighted to be there even if the others see her as being shallow. In the hands of a lesser director, this could easily feel like a mess but the superbly crafted dialogue and carefully considered moments make this gel together into a sum that is far greater than its many moving parts.

With its setting, it is only to be expected that the film makes good use of it and indeed the scenery is spectacular. What’s even better is they are incorporated into surreal sequences that are utterly captivating and beautiful, such as Mick’s vision of all of the leading ladies he has ever directed and Fred seemingly conducting a herd of cows on a hillside. Such scenes help cement the idea that the extended time the various guests spend in the resort is like temporarily stepping out of the real world and I rather like the implication that secluding himself there is part of what makes Fred feel old.

It’s worth noting that this film isn’t universally liked by critics with the main concern being whether or not it actually says anything of substance about its subject matter. I found that I like it a lot however even as it flits lightly from character to character and playfully tangles with a variety of topics. Certainly no one can dispute that this is a gorgeous and surprisingly original film.