In my opinion, the last work of Paolo Sorrentino È stata la mano Dio could be summarized by the verb “to sift”. In the movie, one of characters, Aldo Cavallo, says more and more time that “sifting” is the secret of the kitchen.

I think that is the centre of this busy film by Sorrentino. The plot proceeds like a meticulous sieving work of images, sounds and memories to reach “something” that is always elusive.

Whatever that is, it probably hides behind enigmatic figures that populate the movie (one of most important is the figure of “munaciello” – little monk). Sorrentino paints his own reality, its own pain, its own passion. He tells us own his life and hopes with great attention to details: in the midst of all this, we can often find the sense, the reasons and the answers that we all look for.

Giovanni Covino