Youth 2015

Drama

Box Office

$23M

Runtime

107 min

Language

English

Directed by

Tom Shoval

Made by

Match Factory, The

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Youth Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Youth (2015). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Septuagenarian best friends Fred Ballinger and Mick Boyle are on vacation in the Swiss Alps, staying at a luxury spa in Flims. Fred is a retired classical music composer who is approached by an emissary for Queen Elizabeth II with an offer to be knighted and to perform his popular piece, Simple Song #3, at Prince Philip’s birthday concert. Fred declines the invitation, insisting he has lost interest in performing, even though he still secretly composes in his mind when he’s alone. Beside him, Mick is a film director wrestling with a new project, gathering a group of writers to draft what he calls his “testament” for his latest film. The resort also hosts a resident actor, Jimmy Tree, who is researching for an upcoming role and chafes at being remembered only as a robot, a quirky young masseuse, an oversized Diego Maradona, and Miss Universe among others in residence.

As they spend days together, Fred and Mick confront growing memories slipping away and a sense that their futures may hold little more than fading echoes of the past. Fred’s daughter and assistant, Lena, is married to Mick’s son, but the marriage dissolves when Mick chooses a different path with Paloma Faith; Lena remains at the resort, venting her anger at a father who was chronically distant during her upbringing. The emissary returns, and Lena’s tears rise as Fred explains that he will not perform Simple Song #3 because the soprano part belongs to his wife, who can no longer sing.

Meanwhile, Mick completes his screenplay and feels a rare sense of satisfaction. The primary role is written for Brenda Morel, an aging diva who has starred in many of Mick’s films. Brenda unexpectedly arrives at the spa and reveals that she has chosen a television role over cinema, arguing that cinema is the past and that Mick hasn’t produced a truly strong film in years. The tension of their professional futures deepens into a personal crisis when Mick, feeling defeated, takes a fatal leap from a balcony in front of Fred, an act that unsettles the resort’s already fragile mood.

With Mick gone, Fred makes a decisive move—he travels to visit his wife, who now lives in a Venice care home in a state of senility. After that visit, he returns to the United Kingdom to conduct Simple Song #3 in front of the Queen and Prince, a moment that redefines his sense of purpose, even as memories and distances loom large.

The narrative unfolds with a series of surreal, dreamlike sequences that punctuate the emotional weight of the story: a monk levitates in the air, a music video featuring Paloma Faith appears in Fred’s imagination, Jimmy is seen dressed in an improbable guise reminiscent of a dictator, Fred conducts a field of cowbells in an almost otherworldly concert, and Mick envisions all of his former leading ladies gathered on a mountaintop—an imagined tableau that includes Brenda in a less glamorous television role. These fantastical interludes deepen the meditation on art, memory, fame, and the inexorable passage of time, while keeping the human core of longing, regret, and reconciliation in clear focus.

Youth Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Youth (2015) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Arrival at the Flims spa

Septuagenarian friends Fred Ballinger and Mick Boyle arrive at a luxury Swiss spa to spend a quiet vacation in the Alps. They settle into the resort's routines and meet a cast of eccentric guests while reflecting on aging and lost ambitions. The tranquil setting frames the movie's meditation on memory and art.

early in the trip Flims, Switzerland

Emissary offers knighthood and a concert

An emissary for Queen Elizabeth II visits Fred with news of a knighthood and a request to perform Simple Song #3 at Prince Philip's birthday concert. Fred declines, stating he is no longer interested in performing publicly. He still experiences private moments of musical creativity when he is alone.

early Hotel lounge, Flims

Mick's screenplay and the testament

Mick Boyle continues his film project, gathering writers to shape his latest film, which he calls his testament. He envisions a leading role for Brenda Morel and debates how cinema should be remembered. The group hones ideas in the resort's writing spaces.

midday Hotel writing room, Flims

Jimmy Tree's research and frustration

Actor Jimmy Tree studies for a forthcoming role and vents that he is known mainly for his past robot part. He roams the hotel, chasing authenticity while feeling trapped by his own typecasting. His presence adds a layer of meta-commentary about fame.

throughout the daytime Resort hotel corridors

Lena's marriage and isolation

Lena Ballinger, Fred's daughter and Mick's daughter-in-law, remains at the resort and uses the staff as sounding boards for her anger toward her father. She resents the emotional distance from him during her upbringing and questions the value of inherited fame. The tensions between generations plant the deeper ache of the story.

early part of the stay Flims resort

Mick leaves Lena for Paloma Faith

Meanwhile, Mick reveals his own marital and professional discontent when he leaves Lena for pop star Paloma Faith. The affair deepens the rift between father and daughter-in-law and poisons the resort's fragile calm. This event heightens the sense that both men face personal obsolescence.

mid-stay Flims resort

Emissary returns; Fred explains the performance decision

The emissary returns to press Fred again, and Lena weeps as Fred explains that he will not perform Simple Song #3. He says the soprano part belongs to his wife, who can no longer sing. The scene frames the looming end of Fred's public life and his private fidelity.

evening Hotel lobby

Mick completes the screenplay and Brenda's role

Mick finishes the screenplay and feels a sense of closure, with Brenda Morel envisioned as the aging diva at the center of his tale. He senses the weight of a career that has not lived up to his earlier dreams. The project frames the film's meditation on legacy.

evening Writers' room at the resort

Brenda Morel arrives and comments on cinema's past

Brenda Morel unexpectedly arrives at the resort and tells Mick she will take a television role instead of pursuing his film. She asserts that cinema is in the past and that he hasn't made a good film in years. Her blunt realism shatters Mick's stubborn hope.

late stay Resort suite

Mick's suicide

In a devastating moment, Mick jumps from a balcony in front of Fred, choosing death over continuing his sense of failure. Fred is left stunned by the tragedy and confronted with the fragility of his old friend's spirit. The act propels Fred into a rare emotional decision.

night Balcony of the resort

Fred visits his wife in a Venice care home

Grief and memory push Fred to visit his wife for the first time in years, finding her senile but present in a care home in Venice. He speaks with her softly and feels the weight of shared history despite her decline. The visit reinforces the theme of memory's endurance against time.

after the suicide Venice, care home

Fred returns to conduct Simple Song #3 for the Queen and Prince

Fred travels back to the United Kingdom to conduct his Simple Song #3 in front of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He performs despite his own misgivings, delivering the piece as a testament to a life spent in music. The moment binds his private art to a public ceremony, reconciling past and present.

finale UK concert venue, in front of the Queen and Prince

Surreal interludes echo through the resort

Throughout the film, dreamlike images intrude on the characters' reality, including a levitating monk, an imagined Paloma Faith music video, and visions of old leading ladies on a mountaintop. The surreal sequences punctuate the narrative, underscoring the characters' memories and fantasies. They act as a counterpoint to the film's sober meditation on aging.

Youth Characters

Explore all characters from Youth (2015). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Fred Ballinger

A septuagenarian composer who has retired from public life and now contemplates his past at the spa. He declines the royal invitation to perform, insisting he no longer seeks the stage, even as music lingers in his head. His memories and quiet longing drive his choices and interactions.

❄️ Aging 🎶 Music 🧭 Legacy

Mick Boyle

A celebrated film director working on his final project, a film he calls his testament. He clashes with Brenda, and the prospect of fading relevance weighs on him. His emotional volatility culminates in a desperate act.

🎬 Film 🧭 Legacy 💔 Grief

Lena

Fred's daughter and Mick's daughter-in-law, who feels the distance of her father and the strain of family loyalties. She remains at the resort, voicing anger at her father's neglect and facing the unraveling dynamics of the group.

💢 Family ❤️ Resilience 🧭 Loyalty

Jimmy Tree

An actor researching a role, frustrated by his reduced status and the perception that he is remembered primarily for a single, robotic part. He navigates the retreat with a sense of unfinished business.

🎭 Acting 🧠 Identity 💫 Aspiration

Brenda Morel

An aging diva whose presence unsettles the others; she arrives and reveals she is pursuing a TV role, claiming cinema is the past and that Mick has not delivered in years.

🎤 Stardom 🕰️ Fame

Paloma Faith

A pop star referenced in the narrative, symbolizing modern celebrity and the transience of fame. Her imagined presence and cultural cachet punctuate the surreal memory sequences.

🎤 Pop culture ✨ Fame

Diego Maradona

An overweight, cameo-like presence at the hotel, used to add surreal humor and a sense of the hotel’s odd, eclectic crowd.

⚽ Icon 😂 Humor

Emissary

An envoy for Queen Elizabeth II who delivers the knighthood invitation and later returns with the back-and-forth of royal expectations.

👔 Royalty 🗣️ Diplomacy

Fred's Wife

Fred Ballinger's wife, senile and living in a Venice care home; her condition frames Fred's memories and his sense of loss across years.

👵 Memory 🏥 Aging

Youth Settings

Learn where and when Youth (2015) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

2010s

The story unfolds in contemporary times, set in the 2010s. Aging artists reflect on legacy, fame, and mortality in a world of modern media. Surreal sequences punctuate the narrative, contrasting past glories with present fragility.

Location

Flims, Switzerland, Venice, Italy, United Kingdom

The primary location is a luxury spa resort in Flims, in the Swiss Alps, offering a tranquil retreat for aging celebrities. Scenes also unfold in Venice at a care home and eventually back in the United Kingdom for a royal performance. The setting's opulence and isolation amplify the film's introspective mood and its meditation on memory and legacy.

❄️ Alpine setting 🏨 Luxury spa 🎭 Celebrity retreat

Youth Themes

Discover the main themes in Youth (2015). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🕰️

Aging

The film centers on septuagenarian friends confronting the passage of time and the fading of their once-vivid careers. They confront the fragility of memory and the uncertainty of what the future holds. The spa’s timeless calm sharpens their introspection about what remains of their identities.

🎭

Art & Legacy

Fred's legacy as a composer and Mick's pursuit of a final 'testament' drive the plot. Their art clings to the past even as the world moves on, highlighting the tension between living reverence and contemporary fame. The film meditates on what it means to leave behind meaningful work.

💭

Memory & Regret

Characters grapple with memories that echo past decisions and relationships. Lena confronts Fred's emotional distance, while Mick wrestles with choices that haunt him. The narrative blends personal regret with moments of surreal recollection.

✨

Fame & Celebrity

The Swiss retreat is populated by figures of celebrity and media, exposing how fame shapes desire and perception. The emissary, the pop-star Paloma Faith, and the memory of Brenda expose the volatility of stardom. The film contrasts glamorous illusions with the characters' underlying vulnerabilities.

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Youth Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Youth (2015). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the crisp, lofty calm of a Swiss‑Alpine spa, a retired conductor and his longtime companion, a painter, have slipped away from the bustle of their former lives. The resort’s serene snow‑capped backdrop sets the stage for quiet contemplation, as the duo awaits the arrival of a royal delegation and the promise of an imminent concert that could re‑ignite old ambitions. The surrounding mountains echo with the faint reverberations of past performances, hinting at both possibility and the inexorable passage of time.

Fred carries the weight of a distinguished musical career, now softened by age and a lingering curiosity about what legacy truly means. Beside him, Mick wrestles with his own creative restlessness, a filmmaker whose next project feels both a culmination and a test of relevance. Their friendship, forged over decades, becomes a subtle dance of encouragement and gentle challenge, each probing the other’s unresolved yearning for artistic vitality. Around them, a cast of resort guests—a method‑acting actor, an aging diva, and a diligent masseuse—add layers of whispered stories that intersect with the pair’s own reflections.

The tone of the film drifts between meditative realism and fleeting, dreamlike interludes: a monk levitating silently, a cascade of cowbells imagined as an improvised orchestra, and vivid musical fantasies that bloom in the characters’ minds. These surreal touches amplify the sense that memory and imagination are as tangible as the alpine air, underscoring the characters’ preoccupations with fame, memory, and the inevitable flow of years.

Through elegant cinematography and a restrained, lyric‑like score, the story invites viewers to linger in the quiet spaces between past triumphs and present doubts. The resort becomes more than a setting—it is a reflective crucible where aging artists confront the lingering questions of purpose, connection, and the quiet, persistent rhythm of creative longing.

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