I believe the most important part of the movie so far is the relationship between Matteo and Nicola. The relationship between Matteo and Nicola is constantly tested throughout the movie due to several different factors; however, at the end of the day, the two are still brothers who love and respect each other. This can be seen through several different examples at key points in the first part of the film. The first example comes with Nicola deciding to stay with Matteo in order to help him with Giorgia. He vacates his desired plan because Matteo needs his help, which shows that he is willing to sacrifice something meaningful to him for the sake of his brother. While this does not exactly test their relationship, Matteo abandoning Nicola at the train station to head back to Rome certainly does. The two brothers take completely different paths, but despite the way they left each other, Nicola still writes to Matteo from the various places he is staying. Although Matteo abandoned him, he still loves Matteo and wishes the best for him. His love for Matteo withstands any resentment he may have held over that situation. Perhaps the best examples of mutual love and respect holding together the two brothers come from the scenes in Florence and Turin. At this point in the movie, the brothers are on opposite sides of situations, but they are still able to talk to each other, joke around, and generally enjoy each other's company. The main point that comes up consistently across these examples is that the brothers, no matter their situation or how they may feel about the other's choices, are still talking and appear to respect each other.
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One of the most interesting plot lines to follow throughout the movie is how Giorgia not only helps unite the brothers but also helps to reveal some character development in the two. At several points throughout both part 1 and part 2, Matteo and Nicola seemingly come together and bond over Giorgia. In the first part, they take a trip with her and spend quality time together trying to figure out what to do with her. Throughout this time they are motivated to stay together to help Giorgia, and ironically, as soon as Giorgia is taken away by the police, the brothers split up both mentally and physically. Without Giorgia, they both head back down their individual paths, with Matteo heading back home and Nicola heading to Norway. The use of Giorgia as a unifying factor can also be seen later on when Nicola finds her locked away in the basement of an asylum. He writes to Matteo who is on the other side of the country that Giorgia is alive and in better hands and it instantly puts a smile on Matteo's face. It also leads to Matteo heading up to Turin to visit Nicola and to check in on Giorgia. This leads to them talking more and even offers the brothers the opportunity to be together when their father passes away. Without Giorgia, Matteo may not have been in Turin when their father passed away, and it may have left him in an even worse place mentally. In addition to her helping unite Nicola and Matteo, the use of her character also leads to the development of the characters of both Nicola and Matteo. Regarding Nicola, his time spent with Giorgia allows him to work on his parental skills and helps him decide to become a psychologist. He was able to work on his patience and was able to act almost like a father to Giorgia while they traveled around. With Matteo, his experience with Giorgia changes dramatically from the first time he visits her at the asylum to the second time he visits her at Nicola's office. In the first encounter, he is aggressive and impatient and will not allow Giorgia to do things she wants. In direct contrast, the second encounter involves Matteo having much more patience, sitting down with her, and trying his hardest to get a response. Without this time with Giorgia, we may never have seen a development like this from Matteo.
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There are several beautiful things about this movie as a whole. These include the full circle moments, how Nicola loves and interacts with his family, and the redemption of several characters, like Giorgia and Giulia. The first of these beautiful things, the full circle moments, beautifully end off storylines in satisfying ways. One example of this is when the picture of Matteo and Matteo’s death both help Giorgia eventually start to get better. All Matteo wanted to do was help Giorgia the entire movie, and he was finally able to in a sense. While his picture and learning about him from Nicola may not have been the only reason she got better, it was certainly a major part of it. Another example is when Andrea eventually heads to Norway and is pictured in front of all of the astounding visuals that Nicola was 40 years beforehand. The trip Andrea is on is somewhat different from Nicola’s because he has a guide and a path, but that is what makes it full circle. He is following in the footsteps of his uncle. This is a beautiful way to show that the next generation of youth is growing up and beginning to experience the world the same way as Nicola and many others like him did 40 years beforehand. A second beautiful thing in this movie is the way Nicola loves and interacts with those around him for the most part. This can be seen from the start of the movie when he calms Giorgia down after Matteo takes her journal, to the way he raises his daughter throughout the film, and to how he supports Mirella both before and after they decide to become a couple. Nicola always found ways to love and support those around him not only in the best way he could but in the way he thought they needed. While this may not have worked in the cases of Giulia and Matteo, it provided Nicola with valuable insight into how he could improve the way he loves and supports those around him. It was also very beautiful to see him eventually find the relationship and love he desired the entire movie after he struggled to figure out Giulia. A third beautiful thing in this movie is the redemption of characters that were thought to be lost. Two great examples that come to mind are Giorgia and Giulia. Giorgia is depicted as helpless from the very beginning, and this gets even worse when she is found in the basement of an asylum chained to a bed. Yet, throughout the remainder of the movie, she gets better due to the help of Nicola and the death of Matteo. As unfortunate as it was, Matteo’s death allowed Giorgia to find her redemption and helped her become a functional member of society. Giulia also found some sort of redemption, with hers coming at the end of the movie. Many who've watched this film most likely thought Giulia was a lost cause after the state she had deteriorated to while she was in prison. However, despite her severance of connections and desire to be left alone, the badgering by Nicola and eventually by Sara forces Giulia to stay connected to her daughter. This culminates in Sara eventually meeting and somewhat reconnecting with her mother, and even getting her involved in her life.
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