The Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino has something new for HBO. Of course, he gave us MY BRILLIANT FRIEND, but his most recent movie just made it to our screens. On MONDAY, JUNE 09, his movie PARTHENOPE debuted. It is a coming-of-age drama and an international co-production between Italy and France. It stars Celeste Dalla Porta, Stefania Sandrelli, Gary Oldman, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri, Peppe Lanzetta and Isabella Ferrari.
Sorrentino described the film as being about a woman named Parthenope “who bears the name of her city but is neither siren”, like the mythical figure of the same name (who gave her name to the city Parthenope, the antique predecessor of modern-day Naples), “nor myth”. No, she is a real woman, a real beauty, with real-life issues as she makes her way through life. For example, she has two young suitors competing for her love. Sadly, suicide rears its ugly head, as the loser cannot face a life without her. So, Parthenope must be a beguiling and alluring girl to start her adulthood off this way. The right actress must be able to carry that off, and Celeste Dalla Porta, in Sorrentino’s eyes, must have been the one. This is the actress’s first major cinematic role, and the movie only works if she can pull off the allure the filmmaker was looking for. Does she?
Just from the trailer alone, you can see that this is once again an artsy travelogue for all things Naples, as Sorrentino loves to frame every shot as richly as he can. Part of that richness includes the skin and curves of his lead actress. But is it a story that captivates you, or is it just eye candy? It appears to be the latter. Rolling Stone says, “Della Porta certainly works overtime to show you that Parthenope is indeed more than just a pretty face. Yet her efforts keep getting undermined by Sorrentino’s own inability to get beyond the beauty himself.” The Observer observed, “That’s ultimately what Parthenope is: a spectacle. Sorrentino frames stunning scenes, almost like a series of editorial fashion shoots, but the story becomes lost in the aesthetics.” RT sums it all up as a big ‘splat’ –
If you want to take in the beauty yourself, find PATHENOPE on HBO and on Max.
