If you’re still wrestling with what life’s essence is, watch Life Is Beautiful, directed and starred in by Roberto Benigni. It unveils a truth: life mirrors our character and actions.
Guido’s Journey
The film follows Guido, a Jewish man who moves to Italy to start anew. I love how the director crafts this character and brings him to life. Guido blends sharp wit—sometimes a touch sly—with a playful cunning and a stubborn faith in everything around him.
It’s those unique traits that shape a person’s individuality. That distinct identity can lead us to triumph or stumble, weaving joy with plenty of tangles. But what more can we expect when life itself is just that—always shifting, tossing new things our way whether we’re ready or not?
Love Amid Darkness
Though set against the grim shadow of Nazi Germany looming over Italy, the film gifts us a romantic, almost whimsical love story between Guido and Dora, laced with humor. With boundless creativity and optimism, Guido wins Dora’s heart. Their son, Giosuè, is the fruit of that love.
Guido opens a bookstore, and the film’s loveliest scene is the family pedaling away on a bicycle in the morning—a symbol of the beautiful life they’ve bravely built and cherished together.
But on the day Giosuè’s grandmother visits, German soldiers seize Guido and his son, herding them onto a train bound for a concentration camp. Learning her husband and child are in peril, Dora chooses to board the train too.
Dora matches Guido’s strength of character, living fully by her convictions. To her, Guido is the best man—not just for his smarts, but because his intelligence never dims his sincerity.
A Game of Survival
The camp seems too harsh for young Giosuè to endure, yet Guido swiftly spins it into an imaginary game full of challenges, with a real tank as the prize.
In that earthly hell, Giosuè not only survives but keeps his childhood intact, thanks to his father’s ingenuity. Guido, a small man with towering optimism, seems to reject the idea of death entirely. His faith rests wholly in life and those he loves. He acts for them, even if it means facing death.
A Father’s Farewell
The film’s most moving moment comes when Guido is marched off to execution by Nazi soldiers. Passing the cupboard where Giosuè hides, he lifts his feet in a comical strut and winks playfully at his son. It’s hard to believe a father’s final seconds with his child could pass so lightly. Through that wink, Guido hands all his joy for life to his son—no long, tearful regrets or weary confessions you’d expect in such a tragic scene.
Guido lives a beautiful life with courage, wit, love, and humor. If you’ve got those qualities, you can craft your own beautiful life too.
Life as Your Game
Don’t curse life for its pain and unfairness if you haven’t dared to turn it into your own game. There, you might win or lose, live or die—but above all, you never let it steal your laughter, love, or optimism.
Maybe that’s the message countless wise souls before us have tried to pass down.
