"I didn’t want to simply be a socialite,” Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo) tells us. “I wanted to become the king of socialites.” He has succeeded grandly in this most empty of ambitions; his life seems an endless parade of high-society gatherings, fashionable soirees and art gallery openings.

A louche writer resting on the laurels of his lone novel and the occasional magazine piece, Jep has turned recently turned 65 and is shaken from his decadent torpor when he learns that his first love has died. The news acts as a reminder of his own looming mortality and is a chance to reflect on the gradual decline of Rome.

Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino’s last film was the somewhat divisive little gem This Must Be The Place; this is a much more elaborate affair, stuffing dozens of vignettes of city life into its 142-minute running length. It evokes comparison with his great countrymen Federico Fellini and feels like a belated companion piece to La Dolce Vita, in its ambition, sweep and affectionate but pointedly warts-and-all portrait of a decaying, decadent metropolis.

The Great Beauty is in cinemas on January 23, and thanks to Palace Films, we have 15 double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven’t already), then email us with your name and address. Read our full review here.

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