Il giovane favoloso

Il giovane favoloso, internationally known as Leopardi, is a 2014 Italian biographical drama directed by Mario Martone, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ippolita di Majo. The film traces the life of the great 19th-century poet Giacomo Leopardi. A child of extraordinary intellect, Giacomo grows up under the severe guardianship of his father Monaldo in the family mansion in Recanati, whose vast library feels to him like a prison. While revolutionary upheaval stirs across Europe, he longs to reach the real world beyond his walls, and at twenty-four he finally leaves his hometown behind. The salons of Italian high society welcome him, but his unruly spirit never settles into that world. Elio Germano plays the poet, with Massimo Popolizio, Anna Mouglalis and Valerio Binasco in supporting roles. The film competed for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival and screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.