'The Hand of God' takeaway: Sorrentino does not stray farther from Fellini 

Sorrentino's coming of age autobiographical drama The Hand of God remains in the shadow of Fellini. Federico Fellini was one of the big names in world cinema, at par with Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky. The Italian film industry is much in his debt.

Though Sorrentino may deny his connections to Fellini, the mastero's reflection is evident in Sorrentino's filmmaking. So much so, that Sorrentino came to be known as the contemporary Fellini. In The Hand of God, Sorrentino draws much from Fellini's work.

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A Plot Overview of 'The Hand of God'

The Hand of God is Sorrentino's most personal film to date. Set in Naples in the 1980s, the film follows Fabietto Schisa, a boy in his teens who navigates through his life trying to make sense of the proceedings around him, while at the same time looking for more direction in life. The movie is actually an autobiographical telling of Sorrentino's own teen years in Naples, as he grew up surrounded by his eccentric family who wove in and out of his life.

The turning point of the film is a tragedy that occurs in Fabietto's life that turns it haywire and he feels 'abandoned' and left alone. A series of events occur that force him to grow up overnight and he acquires experiences he never thought he would, which help him find meaning and direction in life.

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The shadow of Fellini in 'The Hand of God'

The Hand of God is in many ways comparable to Fellini's works. Many viewers and critics would of course draw parallels between The Hand of God, by Sorrentino, and Fellini’s I Vitelloni or Amarcord. Both are adaptations of events from the directors' own lives. Given Fellini's influence on Sorrentino's works, it is safe to assume that the director may have acquired inspiration for his personal autobiographical film from Fellini's film itself.

Moreover, Fellini is constantly invoked in the The Hand of God itself. Fabietto wants to make movies. “Reality is lousy,” he says, lifting a line from Fellini himself. Fabietto would like to live a life of fantasy, a life in cinema. He is excited when his idol Capuano says that cinema is a distraction from reality. Because that is all he wants - an escape from the terrible reality he is grappling with.

Interestingly, Fabietto's desire for filmmaking is spun from watching one of Fellini's productions. When he accompanies his brother for an audition for a role in one of Fellini's films, he catches a glimpse of a pin board. That is the moment he decides to make films.

The shadow of Fellini looms large over Sorrentino's The Hand of God.