Italian actor Filippo Scotti makes his film debut as a Maradona fan in The Hand of God

Virgin Radio

17 Dec 2021, 14:19

Director Paolo Sorrentino’s film is a semi-autobiographical tale of a sensitive teenager growing up in 1980s Naples when the world’s greatest footballer, Diego Maradona, signs for local club SSC Napoli.  

When Maradona, infamous for his Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, signed for the struggling Italian club, it had a profound effect on Paolo Sorrentino’s life, which makes up a major part of the narrative in this new film. 

Whilst the footballer doesn’t figure centrally in the movie, his background presence is constant, and protagonist Fabietto’s (based on Sorrentino and played by young Italian actor Filippo Scotti) devotion to watching him play is life-changing, and indeed life-saving (don’t worry, we’re not going to give away any spoilers).

Showing on Netflix now, The Hand of God is Italy’s official submission for International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, and it won the grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival in September.

The movie is described in its synopsis as “a story full of unexpected joys, such as the arrival of football legend Diego Maradona, and an equally unexpected tragedy. Fate plays its part, joy and tragedy intertwine, and Fabietto’s future is set in motion. Sorrentino returns to his hometown to tell his most personal story, a tale of fate and family, sports and cinema, love and loss.”

Speaking to Variety, the film’s director said: “For me, Maradona — besides being what he’s been for many of my generation in that city, a sort of strange divinity – is someone who became what he became, despite everything and everyone.”

He continued: “Despite his body not being the body of an athlete; despite a social background of extreme poverty. There is no direct analogy between us in this respect. But his perseverance, with all the due differences, was also my perseverance.”

When speaking about Scotti, the director told Screendaily: “He was really good, but also shy and fairly insecure… and his shyness and sense of inadequacy is exactly how I remember feeling at that age.” 

Scotti, who makes his film debut, won Venice’s Marcello Mastroianni award for best performance by an emerging actor or actress. “The prize was a real honour,” he said. “But whatever happens in the future, the most important thing for me about working with Paolo was the amazing learning experience. When I think back to the bleak state of mind I was in after Italy’s first lockdown, I never thought that so much could happen to me in a single year.”

The Hand of God is streaming on Netflix now.