In 1984 Naples, Fabietto Schisa enjoys a carefree adolescence with his close-knit family amidst eccentric relatives and friends. However, their peace is shattered: Maria's sister, Patrizia, faces abuse from her husband; Marchino's acting dreams falter after a failed audition with Federico Fellini; Maria discovers Saverio's infidelity.
Amidst turmoil, the acquisition of Diego Maradona by Napoli brings hope and joy, especially for Fabietto, who finds solace in Maradona amidst the chaos. Saverio and Maria reconcile, buying a villa in Roccaraso for family vacations. They invite Fabietto for a weekend getaway, but he declines to attend a Napoli-Empoli match to see Maradona play.
Tragically, Saverio and Maria die from a carbon monoxide leak at the villa. The loss devastates the Schisa siblings, especially Fabietto, who is prevented from seeing his parents' bodies. He grapples with survivor's guilt but also gains a new perspective from his uncle Alfredo's belief that he was saved by "the hand of God". Amidst profound grief and confusion, Fabietto searches for meaning and direction.
Meanwhile, Aunt Patrizia is hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. During Fabietto's visit, she shares her story: miraculously pregnant after an encounter with Saint Gennaro and the "munaciello", but subsequent abuse led to a miscarriage. Feeling trapped, she chose hospitalization to escape her oppressive life. This sparks Fabietto's desire to move to Rome. He has his first sexual encounter with a neighbor, Baroness Focale, who empathizes with his struggles. He also befriends Armando, a smuggler, delving into Neapolitan crime.
Fascinated by cinematography, inspired by a film and actress, Fabietto dreams of studying it. Meanwhile, his relationships with Marchino and Daniela sour: Marchino avoids the future, and Daniela reveals a half-brother fathered by their dad's affair. During a performance by Yulia, Fabietto witnesses director Antonio Capuano harshly criticize her flaws. They discuss Fabietto's desire to study cinema in Rome, but Capuano perceives it as an attempt to escape pain. He advises Fabietto not to flee from Naples but to embrace its stories.
Meanwhile, Napoli wins its first league title. After their encounter, Fabietto decides to keep his promise to go to Rome. During the train journey, he encounters a "munaciello" at a desolate station,[4] echoing his parents' affectionate whistle.
In July 2020, it was announced Paolo Sorrentino would write, direct and produce the film, with Netflix attached to distribute. Sorrentino spent years gathering memories about his family, friends and parents before writing the screenplay. Despite the extensive preparation, he wrote the script in just two weeks.[6] That same month, a lawyer for Diego Maradona stated he was considering legal action against the film for its title, as it is a reference to Maradona's 1986 FIFA World Cupgoal against England, and use of Maradona's image was not authorized. Netflix responded that the film is not a sports film or about Maradona, and instead a personal story inspired by Sorrentino's youth.[7] In September 2020, Toni Servillo joined the cast of the film, with principal photography commencing that same month in Naples, Italy.[8]
The film was mostly well received by critics. In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw awarded the film four stars out of five, calling it an "extravagantly personal" film saying it would be "obtuse not to marvel at the exuberance, energy and vivid moment-by-moment immediacy of this movie."[10]The Independent also awarded the film four stars out of a possible five.[11]RogerEbert.com described the film as quintessential Sorrentino, noting that "it’s about finding character in unexpected places and making it seem both true to life and completely overwhelming". They also praised the cinematography of Daria D'Antonio.[12] Writing in The New York Times, A.O Scott described the film as "sensual, sad and occasionally sublime." Like many critics, he saw the similarities between Sorrentino and Federico Fellini, suggesting that "if The Great Beauty, an Oscar winner in 2014, can be called Sorrentino’s La Dolce Vita, then this is his Amarcord". Referencing the autobiographical of Sorrentino's film, he concluded: "It’s a beautiful tautology: a true-to-life movie about a life made for movies."[13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 158 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Although The Hand of God isn't Sorrentino's best work, this beautifully filmed coming-of-age story sings in a beguiling, albeit minor, key."[14]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]
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