When a woman looks back at a life filled with lust, love, desire and heartbreak, what moments does she remember in particular? What relationships meant the most and what conquests helped shaped her life going forward? What does a mysterious woman think about when she stares at nothing in particular?
In 1950, in the bay of Naples Italy, beautiful Parthenope (Celeste Dalla Porta) is born in the ocean itself. A princess (well not literally) who will live her youth in the crumbling castle her family’s life of privilege has afforded them. As she grows into her teenage years and beyond, she becomes a gorgeous, statuesque beauty drawing the attention of men, boys and even other women who pass her by. Like the siren from Greek mythology, which is her namesake, Parthenope is the embodiment of the city of Naples itself; beautiful, illusive and profane.
Over the course of Parthenope‘s life, she navigates the dramas of romance, family and the professional world. Brilliantly witty and with an intelligence to match her beauty, she becomes a disciple of anthropology professor Devoto Marotta (Silvio Orlando). Looking for an unconventional acceptance, she seeks to accompany the disillusioned and alcoholic author John Cheever (Gary Oldman), all of this while she is still just a teenager. Despite heartbreak, sorrow and setbacks, Parthenope remains dedicated to Naples and charting her own path. But is her journey of independence just a means to protect herself from her fear of commitment?
From the director of Oscar award-winning The Great Beauty (2013), Paolo Sorrentino, comes a story of a life’s worth of female identity and self-discovery. For many, life can be mysterious, challenging and we can lose our understanding of where we are going, while for some, being born wealthy, smart and especially beautiful can open many doors.
Parthenope is a peculiar film to approach, as it is a story where like life itself – you can never quite tell where it’s going. This is primarily as the movie is more something like memory box of different loves and losses (mostly loves). The dizzying highs and some crushing lows of Parthenope‘s life are viewed like we’re seeing them through her mind’s eye; more vibrant, more seductive and more devastating than they may have occurred in reality. But this is how the 70-year-old (Stefania Sandrelli) retiree may remember them.
Parthenope is an intoxicating dreamlike experience where we are whisked away to the exotic and mysterious corners of Naples. There are those who hate the town and those who adore it, but like our leading mistress, people feel drawn to it wanting to see more. The brilliant cinematography by Daria D’Antonio and sweetly melancholic score by Lele Marchitelli only serve to draw us further into this slumber.
The gorgeous Celeste Dalla Porta does a fantastic job at portraying this illustrious woman. While perhaps not quite the jaw dropping knockout we’re repeatedly told she is, this may lend itself more to the interpretation that she is something of an unreliable narrator. Also, while many characters will ask Parthenope, “What are you thinking?”, admittedly I found it hard to care, as the character is as distance to us viewers as she is in the film to the world beyond her town.
Instead, it is the eclectic group of supporting characters who find themselves gravitating towards Parthenope who really make the film. A respected man of the people who takes Parthenope into a seedy fertility rite where a young couple must join two rich families in front of an audience, a wealthy helicopter pilot who hounds Parthenope until her independent nature poisons his view of her, and a “devil” in the guise of a holy man.
There are even more strange characters and really it seems like that’s all Parthenope‘s life was filled with at times. A non-stop procession of suitors and lovers lusting after this young woman, which is what makes Oldman‘s depressed homosexual author such an interesting character. The one man whose attention she wants, who doesn’t want her to waste a moment of her youth in his company. In the end, does Parthenope love too much or not enough?
Visually and aesthetically, Parthenope is an enchanting film which captures the audience, drawing us into this world of debauchery and wonder. Although, it can be underwhelming to those who want to know what exactly director Paolo Sorrentino is trying to say with all this extravagance and lust. Like a mature woman’s dream of her past lives, Parthenope is simply an engaging yet overall fleeting ride down memory lane.
Parthenope is in cinemas Boxing Day.
