La torta etiope e il cavallo ebreo: metaphor, mythopoeia and symbolisms in "Life is beautiful"

The main controversy surrounds the accuracy (or lack thereof) within the context of the film. This article discusses the fairly tale element present in the film and the myths, symbols and metaphorical images that the director uses to create a representation of history assumed to be unrepresentable. Some of the fiercest critics have read the film in a negationist perspective, accusing it of denying the true extent of the Holocaust. The macabre reality hides the gravest of truths, the violence, the extermination. Benigni neither denies nor negates this, but knew he could never respresent it