Il giovane Berlusconi

'Il Giovane Berlusconi' is one of those short documentaries (3 episodes of 50 min, max 1h) that nevertheless manages in its brevity to encapsulate the greatness of a man who, like it or not, shaped Italy from the 1970s until 2023 and, even now, post mortem, influences Italian politics.

Certainly as a political enthusiast and, being Italian, I appreciated this multimedia product that tries to make us understand different facets, even interviewing his great adversaries and I would even say critics.

I am sorry that so few people voted for it here on IMDb and, despite the fact that I am someone who never reviews anything (except with a mere vote), I thought my small written contribution was necessary to do justice to a valuable documentary.

It is disappointing to see how the TV series deliberately avoided addressing some of the most controversial and significant episodes of its subject's career. I say "deliberately" because, in three 50-minute episodes, it is hard to believe they did not have the time to discuss:

The decision not to highlight episodes such as the alleged alteration of flight paths following a scam to inflate the value of land purchased at a bargain price, the issues related to "Casa di Arcore" and the scandals connected to its purchase at twenty times its real value, and the alleged collusion with the mafia (given that his father was the director of a bank where several mafiosi had accounts), among others, is troubling. These events, which profoundly impacted public perception of Berlusconi, should have been integral to a honest and comprehensive narrative.

Instead, the series seems to focus exclusively on the positive aspects of his figure, almost ignoring the shadows and controversies that accompanied his political and entrepreneurial rise. This partial approach betrays the expectations of those seeking a more balanced and critical portrayal.

I feel like writing one of my rare reviews because I don't find the low average rating I find for this series fair.

"The Young Berlusconi" is an excellent TV series that must be evaluated for its quality and not for its subject - always and forever divisive. The archive images, expertly edited, take us back to the Italy of the 80s and 90s with great effectiveness. The stories of the collaborators (and of some characters who were not kind to Berlusconi) tell a story that is partly known, but always fascinating. In addition to the beauty of the series from an entertainment point of view, let's remember: we never know where we are today if we don't know what happened yesterday.