Roberto Benigni steps away from the ugly historical truth of the Holocaust to bring us a story that centers on a different truth, i.e., the fierce love, ingenuity and resilience of a father who uses clownish ways to to persuade his young son that their horrific concentration-camp experience is but an elaborate game. This is a film that garnered both high praise and fierce criticism. It took the Oscar award in 1999 for best foreign language film.