Parthenope (Paolo Sorrentino, 2024, Italy/France)

Parthenope is the latest effort from Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino. Sorrentino's last film, The Hand of God, was released via Netflix and met with a positive but muted reception - at least in the United States. Parthenope, a more challenging effort than the more straightforward coming-of-age Hand, has received less critical praise. It's easy to see why many critics haven't been so kind to Parthenope. It is a film that deals in big metaphors about life, love, and country.

We are introduced to our main character, Parthenope (named for one of the sirens of Greek mythology - also a site in Naples), at her birth. Parthenope is a charismatic figure who draws the attention of all men and women around her, including - as we will find out - her brother. This sordid incestuous love triangle (never explicitly realized) forms the first act of the film. This part of the film is the most conventional and the most indebted to coming-of-age tropes.

As Parthenope grows older, we meet a variety of men and women who come into her life and represent various aspects of Neapolitan society including an elderly diva, a mob boss, a cardinal, and her professor. The film becomes progressively more hallucinatory and strange as it continues, and it is here that Sorrentino's indebtedness to Fellini comes out in full force. The film culminates in a turn of pure magical realism before grounding itself once again with a 70-year-old Parthenope in the present, played by the Italian icon Stefania Sandrelli. Parthenope is undoubtedly a flawed film, but it is packed with rich imagery and scenery and plenty of ideas worthy of discussion. It will likely be considered a misfire for Sorrentino, but Sorrentino completists will likely enjoy the film - as will anyone interested in Neapolitan life.

7/10