User reviews

What is Parthenope if not a love letter to youth?

Celeste dalla Porta embodies all the years we've lived and forgot, all the pain and love we've endured, all the nights we were awake talking nonsense.

Sorrentino was able to capture her beauty and he built a movie around it. She's more of a ideal woman, a sort of deity: too perfect to be true. It is impossible not to fall for her. How could you not stare in awe when her meditative stare becomes a smile: falling in love is as simple as that.

So I declare: a new Diva is born, a timeless star, forever young.

Apart from Celeste, the movie seems to be looking only for the best shots and poetic quotes. This generates a sense of artificiality that can be distracting and annoying. The narrative is loose and the plot is basically nonexistent because the movie cares more about chasing the aesthetic than building a cohesive story. It's an artistic choice that some may love and others may hate.

I love Celeste dalla Porta in this movie and I'm more than happy.

I hope you could be too.

The main issue with Parthenope is that it adds nothing new to Paolo Sorrentino's filmography. Too many familiar scenes, too many obsessions already portrayed, too many mannerisms endlessly repeated. While it's true that cigarettes have become a signature of the director, when every actor-from the beautiful lead to the extras in the background-keeps lighting one up, it quickly becomes cloying, if not outright ridiculous. I truly enjoy Sorrentino's cinema, but the excitement I felt leaving the theatre after watching The Consequences of Love is now only a faint memory, faded like the summer youth that once was.

Somewhat disappointed by his last film È STATA LA MANO DI DIO, with PARTHENOPE I was reminded of what had touched me so much with the films of Sorrentino. Everything is beautiful, from the city of Naples and its pristine water to the yet unknown goddess Celeste da Porta. Add to it the Fellini-like shots and the wonderful jazz soundtrack by Lele Marchitelli : you get perfection.

The beauty of life in its insignificance... One might think he's making another GRANDE BELLEZZA, but it's just not the case. Sorrentino manages to surprise us once again, with a new way of dealing with what is - ultimately - the same topic.

The movie asks questions without ever answering them, as if to say that one should just stop looking for answers and start observing the beauty of the world for what it is. As a result, the spectator leaves the theater not with answers, but with an interesting take on life, and ultimately death...

Oh, and I almost forgot, the movie stars Gary Oldman. Though his onscreen time is limited, he manages to pull out a wonderful performance. He then withdraws, as if he were urging us to enjoy the movie he convinced us (by his presence in the cast) to go watch.

So I know not everybody is going to like it - some scenes are pretty weird I have to admit - but as far is I'm concerned, this movie gave me everything I did (and didn't) expect when stepping into the theater. Sincerely hope/think it will win Palme d'Or.

Grazie Paolo ;)

Parthenope is one of those movies that I enjoyed, but I still can't tell you what the point was. It's an Italian movie, so of course it LOOKS gorgeous, with breathtaking scenery, costumes, and cinematography. Add a lush and haunting musical score and you have something rather spellbinding. It also has a very attractive cast, led by the charismatic Celeste Dalla Porta in the title role. The film begins in 1950, when Parthenope is born quite literally in the sea, with her mother surrounded by a team of midwives, on the Bay of Naples. (Naples itself is practically a character in the movie.) Parthenope grows up and pursues a degree in anthropology, even though she tells her professor/mentor that she really doesn't know what anthropology is. She aces her finals pretty much by accident and quickly gets a prestigious teaching job in Trento. Although she is gorgeous and is pursued by fabulously wealthy men, her heart seems to belong to her brother. The brother commits suicide offscreen (which we learn about in a rather oblique manner). Why? Did they commit incest? At one point a threesome is hinted at between Parthenope, her boyfriend, and her brother. But we don't know really how far it went. It's all very enigmatic and not a little disturbing. There are some funny sequences, including an outrageous lampoon of Sophia Loren embodied in a character called "Greta Cool," a famous actress who is closely identified with Naples. I'd recommend this movie to Italophiles and lovers of Italian cinema, but I don't really know how much appeal it would have for the general public. Ms. Dalla Porta is an interesting actress whom I'm sure we'll be seeing more of in the future.

"As complete as she is-with all her goods and her ills-do you know who she reminds me of?... Naples"

• Eça de Queirós, The Illustrious House of Ramires, mutatis mutandis.

"The most beautiful gift is not the most expensive; it is the most fragile." Marques Rebelo, O Trapicheiro.

As the lights of the nineteenth century faded, Eça de Queirós-the great Eça-painted, through the face of Gonçalo Mendes Ramires, a symbolic portrait of Portugal that, as any good symbol does, contained everything, even when it sometimes seemed to contain nothing at all. Last year, Paolo Sorrentino, the great artist of contemporary cinema, painted with the face and body of Parthenope the symbolic portrait of Naples: yet another of his masterpieces, unveiling a city and a woman that, in the blink of an eye, are one in the lyrical conception of poet Sorrentino. Naples, or Parthenope- a name that evokes the mythological siren whose body is said to have given birth to the city-is not merely a backdrop, but a pulsating character. And Parthenope, the protagonist (portrayed with an ethereal melancholy), is its incarnation: born in the waters of the Mediterranean, like Venus, like Naples, she carries within her the contradiction of the sublime and the grotesque, of desire and death.

Sorrentino, heir to a Fellini-esque sensitivity for both beauty and the bizarre, does not fear excess. In scenes such as the party in Capri-where beautiful faces and bodies dissolved under golden lights-Parthenope, in her melancholy, asks her millionaire admirer: "Lei non pensa che il desiderio sia un mistero e il sesso il suo funerale?" [don't you think that desire is a mystery and sex its funeral]. The phrase echoes like an epitaph, laid bare to reveal the fragility and preciousness of desire and youth: desire as an unfathomable mystery, and sex as the funeral ritual of something that will never be consummated. It is in this interplay of opposites that the narrative unfolds, between the sculptural beauty of Naples' landscapes and the harshness of its forgotten alleys, where the protagonist walks with Roberto, an ambiguous character who unveils to her the other side of the city-a Naples both raw and poetic, where the contrast between the opulent luxury of grand houses and the simplicity of neglected corners becomes a metaphor for the city's inherent duality. Every step, every exchanged glance, carries the tension between the ephemeral and the eternal, between the urgent and the trivial. There, in the interplay of shadow and light, "the irrelevant merges with the decisive," as if chance itself became the silent arbiter of destinies. But is there any sense in speaking of chance? In song, Riccardo Cocciante tells us otherwise-everything was already foreseen.

"Beauty is like war: it opens doors," declares the alcoholic writer John Cheever (portrayed by Gary Oldman) in his brief, ghostly appearance. Drunkenly, he murmurs about the "scent of dead loves," a fragrance he claims to detect in his hotel room, surrounded by bottles of alcohol. So many dead loves in the city, in Parthenope's life. Here, her beauty is a weapon-a weapon that invariably wounds those who wield it: capable of granting access to privileged worlds, yet also imprisoning one in gilded cages. But Parthenope is a woman-city that "sfugge sempre": she flees, escapes, refuses to be deciphered, and always has a retort ready to disarm her interlocutors. What mysteries lie hidden within her?

The narrative delves into a universe where every image is meticulously sculpted to reveal the mysteries of existence. Amid this tapestry of contrasts stands Cardinal Tesorone, with his imposing and perverse figure, his grotesque nature and skepticism-a link in a Neapolitan religiosity divided between the sacred and the profane. His discourse, laden with solemnity and irony, resonates in the scene where, clad only in the adornments of San Gennaro's treasure, he attempts to seduce the city of Parthenope-or perhaps merely the delectable Parthenope herself-with the lubricity of a faun and the cynicism of an old man. Il tempo che scorre insieme al dolore.

In every dialogue, in every exchanged glance, the question echoes: is it possible that by trying to master desire, love ultimately imprisons its own freedom? And in this eternal ebb and flow between wanting and being, the protagonist remains undefinable, always escaping, constantly reinventing herself-as if the very city of Naples refused to be confined by labels or predetermined destinies.

In the twilight of her existence-be it amidst the effervescence of a Capri celebration or in the solitude of a dim alley-Parthenope presents herself as the synthesis of all the opposites that coexist in Naples: the sublime and the grotesque, desire and death, fragility and strength. It is this paradoxical combination that renders her portrait so unforgettable-a mirror, perhaps, of a city whose soul, despite everything, continues to pulse with an indomitable vitality, defying time and destiny with an irony that, in the end, remains its sole certainty.

In the enchanting world of Parthenope, director Paolo Sorrentino weaves a tapestry of captivating imagery and compelling storytelling. The film, named after the mythical siren and the city, is a breathtaking exploration of life, beauty, and self-discovery.

The mesmerizing performance by debut actress Celeste Dalla Porta is the heart and soul of Parthenope. Her enigmatic portrayal of the titular character is a masterclass in subtlety and allure, drawing the audience into her journey of self-realization. The partnership between Sorrentino and cinematographer Daria D'Antonio is once again a match made in heaven, as they paint a vivid picture of Italy's stunning landscapes.

Sorrentino's signature style is on full display in Parthenope, with the film's episodic structure allowing for a deep dive into the protagonist's experiences. While some may argue that the film prioritizes style over substance, it's hard to deny the sheer visual splendor and emotional resonance that Sorrentino achieves.

Parthenope is a celebration of youth, beauty, and the transformative power of self-discovery. It's a testament to Sorrentino's unique vision and unwavering commitment to his craft. While it may not be a radical departure from his previous works, Parthenope is a stunning addition to his filmography and a must-see for fans of his distinct cinematic style.

I've seen this Art Piece at Cannes Film Festival in the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière. A room full of cinephiles & cinema addicts. The theatre was filled with a special nostalgic/joyful/emotional atmosphere that I've never felt before. Many tears of gratitude flowed down my cheeks.

And this is only because of the cinema experience. And I hope with all my heart that will never end. Watching a film with other people on a very big screen will always make a big difference comparing with our home cinemas.

I recommend to see this film only in cinema.

Amazing cinematography by the amazing Daria D'Antonio!

Why would you watch this movie? Probably based on what we know that is said about Sorrentino and his perfect eye for the breathtaking visuals. Indeed, with the first shot in the movie he makes it clear - showing a carriage and the "Captain" floating on the sea with the view on the stunning coast of Napoli!

Not its beauty, but the Napoli itself is one of the key topics. If this city could be personified, it will definitely be a beautiful woman. Only, just like a person, Napoli is much more than a beauty and it definitely has its dark places.

It personally touched me that one of the key topics (and a key question) is also (what is) a study of Anthropology. Anthropology, formed of two Latin words, meaning a person and science. No other study could have been better for this movie, rather than a study of the most complicated being in this world. I will save you from spoilers and let you think of what Anthropology is before the movie answers it for you, but keep in mind that it is shown by the biggest "superpowers" of Parthenope and especially in her brother Raimondo, who in my opinion was the one that taught that to Parthenope.

The third matter that made me absolutely passionate about this movie was the precise choice of words and creation of dialogues. Her love interests were mostly people who had the most beautiful way of expressing their emotions. Listing to their dialogues made me feel like I've read a book.

I highly recommend watching this movie, although it may have some bizarre moments that can make you feel uneasy. But if you are open to understanding and accepting the strangeness, it will definitely let you "get carried away."

After watching the movie in theaters, i can say i didn't get the best experience while the movie was trying so hard to be an "art" movie.

Let me first go through what i liked. For sure the cinematography was up top. We got a chance to take a closer look at Napoli, also giving aesthetically satisfying shots. Secondary, I enjoyed the music a lot giving lots of Italian vibes, and sound effects were used efficiently. They knew where to use sounds.

Here comes the part where I hardly liked and understood. The plot. Seriously, for the whole movie i was thinking what this movie was trying to explain. Without a proper story to tell, the movie was more than 2 hours long. Later while reading other reviews I was able to catch a glimpse at the plot but that shouldn't be the way you understand the subject rather movie should clearly emphasize its purpose. Also characters were not introduced properly so they fell short, Gary Oldman comes in, says a few fancy sentences and leaves etc. If I want to dive deep about the plot and characters, the review might be a little long.

To sum up, even though an aesthetically satisfying movie, it feels null, boring and leaves you empty handed with absolutely no clue about the story with disconnected scenes one after another.

Tries to be a meaningful movie but not able to , so fakes it. Tries to be a new version of " Malena" but not even close. It's just a collage of some good monologues, beautiful woman, different characters of men, landscapes,... around one person.

The movie tries to be original but not able to at all, Even the music.

Every time the music starts, you think this is the beginning of the Bolero, M. 81 but it is not not because it's some thing better or worse, because it's fake.

And all those decent men surrounding a beautiful sexy woman, really? Not even one man bothering her in her hole life or any man trying to get her in a bad way.

This film was weird. Very weird. But that shouldn't have been a problem. I love weird. However, Parthenope made the arrogant mistake of having the audience believe it had some point to make. Let me shatter the suggestion of every good review up here: it did not. It mistakes beauty for substance. Because i admit, the film looks good, the scenery is gorgeous and the female lead is stunningly beautiful.

That said, the film did not make me feel anything at all. Beautiful weirdness does not garantuee a good movie and this film is proof of that. It meanders with a fake sense of melancholia and nostalgia. But it simply goes all out to conceal the fact that it is shamelessly boring and depressing.

To compare: David Lynch (i'm still depressed over his passing) made some utterly weird stuff, but no matter how weird it got, it was never boring. It commanded your attention and it had you feel all kinds of emotions. Within that framework, weird does not matter anymore. It makes you feel and experience. Lynch was a master in that sense. With Parthenope director Sorrentino tries, but completely misses that mark.

Don't get me wrong, La Grande Belezza was beautiful, i admire Sorrentino for that one. But he never got to that level of emotion and melancholia after that film. And Parthenope really jumps the shark .

Apart from the beauty of the film, multiple scenes are nothing but vulgar and no fun to watch. But worse, they don't add anyting to the film. I am not a sensitive soul, bring on the messed up stuff. But do-have-a-point! Don't irritate me for the sake of it.

And one final note: ripping off part of the score of Schindler's List is unforgivable. Took me a few minutes to recognize, but wow! A case of plagiarism that could not have been more obvious.

3 stars, for the eye-candy. And i'm being generous.

With every scene, I found myself coughing, overwhelmed by the thick smoke that filled my mouth. The cinematography was exceptional, bringing history to life with brilliantly portrayed characters. The vices of the cardinals, the "Comandante" spirit and the familiar backdrop of Naples-stretching from the vibrant "Quartieri Spagnoli" and "Sanità" to the elegant seaside villas of Posillipo-created a striking contrast.

Silvio Orlando delivered a magnificent performance in a setting that reflected an Italian university of basic notions and rote learning. The film was a continuous exploration of Neapolitan anthropology-nostalgic and deeply moving.

For the director, I might suggest a different story next time-perhaps that of a Neapolitan emigrant in Australia-though that tale may have already been told.

Paerthenope isn´t just a film, it is a painting alive: every scene is filmed with such sensibility... If you wonder what real Beauty is, then the film will give you the answer. A real masterpiece in my opinion, that will make you fall in love with the main actress (you can´t escape that !) but also with the beautiful city of Napoli, a city filled with culture and history, the heart of the Italian authenticity. A film that takes you for a walk through essential philosophical questions such as the true essence of Beauty and the ephemeral youth. To put it into a nutshell, I would say Parthenope is a BEAUTIFUL DEPRESSING movie.

May be Parthenope is not the best, but I still think it might be my personal favorite among all of Sorrentino's films.

For me, it is not about history, religion, philosophy, or even family, but simply the story of a young goddess experiencing the beauty, love, desire and sorrow of life-a film that ultimately turns the gaze back to our everyone's own lives. So fragile, so nonsensical, so bizarre, so contradictory, so meaningless-yet still met with both smiles and tears in the face of reality... o forse non è così.

I don't see Parthenope as a "moralized lecture" that offers answers or explanations. On the contrary, it feels like a breathtaking and poetic piece of prose that touches me deeply.

Oneiric, refined, sublime. Sorrentino creates a work of art worthy of his name and a style that belongs only to him. Sorrentino offers us a return to Italian auteur cinema.

Moments of silence, ruled by looks typical of Antonioni, the metaphorical and pressing sensuality in the style of Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris, the sense of mystery, darkness and suspense typical of Tornatore. A wonderful Naples, almost painted, but also raw, naked, poor and unfortunate. In this film Naples is to Sorrentino as Rome was to Fellini, representing the capital as a synecdoche for national ideals and values, but also a city of power and great cultural, social and political influence.

Thanks to Parthenope, Italian cinema has awakened from the torpor of banality is commercialism. Thank you Sorrentino ❤

People are giving 8, 9 and 10 to this film? Really? I suppose if you are the Tourism office of Napoli, or the jewelry company who paid for product placement on the lead actress, you would be pleased. Personally I sat through the entire film and thought "if when I get home I don't learn from google that this film is based on some deep mythology and history about Napoli which I don't understand, then it is a total joke." Ridiculous moment after moment, zero plot... My wife and I walked out after the film and were both just frustrated. My first comment was "that seemed like a two hour advertisement for a new Versace perfume." When I got home and googled the director I was not surprised to learn that two of the last things he directed were advertisements for Bulgari and Hennessy cognac! Sorry to be so brutally honest, but this one is a must miss!

From the very beginning of the movie a sense of awe. Plot is beauty itself. Beauty as a city. Beauty as an aesthetic. Beauty as a moral dilemma. Beauty as an intelligence. Beauty as a gift. Beauty as a curse. And beauty as a woman named Parthenope.

Sorrentino crafts a story (not necessarily for everyone, and that's OK) that resonates with Fellini (but not so graphic) and Pasolini (but not so sordid) making the visual experience something so overwhelming that blows away plot, structure, blah, blah, blah... with characters so magical an surreal yet so grounded and passionate, that one can only be fascinated with mankind's array of infinite possibilities. The cast itself, and the main actress Celeste Dalla Porta, make what on paper could seem impossible, simple, real, and relatable... yet mythic at the same time.

Obviously, the craftsmanship resonates in every shot, in every camera move.... There is no randomness in any of the creative choices, not only the EXTRAORDINARILY BEAUTIFUL "mise en scène" (Saint Laurent, the producer, should be glad, and Armani, Versace; or Valentino jealous) but also in the sounds and soundtrack (Cocciante being one of the most heartfelt highlights).

And yes. This pretentious review reflects how hard is for one to convey the array of legit and authentic emotions felt throughout the movie.

When a movie is pure and raw emotion, whatever you end up saying is jibberish. So stop reading and go watch it.

That's what I like about Sorrentino, that his films are like a book of a thousand existential questions that collide like electrons in the atom of our consciousness, trying to find the integrity of our own self.

Parthenope is just such a film, instigating us to so many questions: what do we think about when our gaze soars; what is it not to use the beauty that you are gifted with, and what price will you pay for that; what is the power of the love when we are young; how do you bear the burden of being smarter than the others and does that make you anomalous or just sad and misunderstood person; whether love, as a means of survival, has failed; when it's time to leave; what the personal freedom turns into when you lock it in a cage.

Still, there are questions that we are not ready to know the answers to, because we have not gone through the suffering, and it alone is the key to awareness.

Parthenope is a sad film where personal freedom is forced to be locked in order to survive and not be killed by the tyrannical, retrograde society that has one main occupation - to judge everyone with the iron hammer of its prejudices and traditions. And in Naples, as we see, there are many of them. A small hell in a seeming paradise where not everyone survives.

To find out what the outcome is for the minority whose emotional intelligence does not conform to public prejudice, watch Parthenope and suffer! The important thing is not to judge anyone, so that you are not judged!

This film is extremely pretentious and tackles sensitive topics like suicide, almost romanticizing it. It's unclear whether the narrative is imaginary, based on a sort of dreamlike and fantastical version of Naples, or real and set in our present times. Nothing truly makes sense, and the final scene with that child-like creature was blatantly inserted as a shock factor-except it ended up making the entire cinema burst into laughter. This film tries to intellectualize whatever random topic the author throws in, resulting in an awkward experience that makes you laugh while watching it. However, the cinematography is spectacular, capturing the beautiful and characteristic landscapes of Naples-but if that was the point, I might as well have watched a documentary.

Parthenope was one of the movies I was longing to see.

The title alone was intriguing. Parthenope.

The siren that cast herself into the sea and drowned when she failed to entice Odysseus. Her body washed ashore at Naples. How fitting...

This movie touches so many concepts that I struggle to decrypt till this very moment that I am writing these lines, and yet, that is the characteristic of a great movie. A film that makes you look back and think.

Is she a siren? And her beauty. A Celeste Dalla Porta perfectly cast for this role. You would look at her and think beauty is objective after all. How could even Odysseus resist that stare? "What are you thinking about?"

She is young, playful, the world is hers, and she doesn't want to just be with one guy, even if that is the love of her life. She is too young and pretty to comply to a social norm.

And yet time flies even for sirens. You suddenly look back and think of your life looking back, once you are old and beauty has slowly faded. Have you made the right choices? And every single choice you have made has led you to where you are now. So many what ifs. What if you had married? What if you had approached that one person, what if you had left your city to follow your dreams? And yet it has all led you there. Maybe in a parallel universe things are so different. "What are you thinking about?"

Maybe for Parthenope the turning point of her life was when she saw her Odysseus depart. All set in a magestic city of Naples, the eternal Meditteranean sea, calm and wise from all those centuries of living history. Because most likely, only the sea that gave birth to Parthenope will be able to decrypt her thoughts, what she is really thinking about.

And isn't that the point after all?