Often deeply moving and spiritually satisfying, Three Brothers is a paean to nostalgia, yearning for what was once held sacred now withering with age and time. Some of the film’s most affecting moments involve Vanel’s Donato whose craggy face exudes sadness and yearning all the while trying to maintain composure in the face of an innocent granddaughter unable to fully grasp the situation. Elements of the finale are indeed politicized, drawing a link to Rosi’s prior work and some of the fantasy sequences including a band of school kids brooming away heroin needles echo the surrealism of Federico Fellini. And yet the overall impression one comes away with is no matter what trajectories our lives take, it all comes back to our upbringing and the pain of losing a loved one. Like Akira Kurosawa, fans of Rosi will indeed notice a slower pace than his more youthful work from the 1960s and the feeling and tone is that of an older man looking back on his life with humility and wisdom. While not the easiest film to recommend to most viewers or newcomers to Rosi, I myself was moved and reminded me of every instance where I’ve ever lost a sibling, friend or loved one to the sands of time.