'Parthenope' Lacks True Passion
There's much beauty to be had here. If only the movie had a little more soul. Parthenope is the type of film cinephiles, and people pretending to be cinephiles like to drool all over instead of seeing it for what it really is. It's methodically paced, horny, and is set in a gorgeous location that could be shot from any angle and still look beautiful. The main problem with the film is how disorganized it is when it comes to telling a consistent narrative. It's not that the film is structurally all over the place; it's that it's emotionally hollow, not knowing how to resonate with an audience outside of one particular plot beat.
The picture starts with the birth of our protagonist in 1973. The child doesn't have a name before she's delivered. After the baby is conceived, it is decided she will be named after her home of Parthenope in Italy. Flash forward to many years later, where the baby is now a grown young woman. Parthenope is so beautiful many around her thinks she should become an actress. When you're young and your family has lots of money, the world is open to you. Instead of taking the easy route of being an actress, Parthenope decides to commit herself to anthropology. When she first approaches the subject, the professor tears apart her essay into pieces right in front of her. What a nice guy. Later, she decides she wants to study the anthropology of suicide after a member of her family has killed himself. This time, her essay is recieved with praise.
Here's a part of the film that felt empty. Parthenope's brother offs himself, but we don't know why. Thus, it's hard to connect with him. Did he do it because he's jealous of his sister, knowing he could never measure up to her? What is it that pushes him off the edge? Instead of examining this, the movie makes the young man's suicide more of a mystery. It's the only point of conflict in a plot that completely lacks any. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Not every movie has to be loaded with drama. Some can be like La Dolce Vita, where nothing really happens, yet we're engrossed in the world the picture presents to its audience. Unfortunately, not every artist can be like Federico Fellini. He's a rare talent that can be mimicked but never truly replicated. Parthenope is a film more occupied with filming beautiful vistas than reaching the audience's hearts and minds. It's a film about how physical attraction is not the only thing that defines a person. But let's face it, it helps you get to where you want to be. If Parthenope were not dead gorgeous, then she probably wouldn't get the admiration she received.
Not only attractive from the outside, Parthenope is also wonderful on the inside. She has everything most people wish they had. Brains and beauty. At one point, someone says, "Beauty is like war. It opens doors." I suppose, in a way, that's true. When in war, everyone wants a piece of your land. When you're beautiful, everyone wants a piece of you. As a woman, how do you survive in a world full of thirsty men? Instead of making a film in a world full of perverts, Parthenope explores the meaning behind anthropology. It is told repeatedly to Parthenope by her mentor that she doesn't know what anthropology is. Yet, in the end, she learns the meaning. It's not just about human behavior but seeing it when most people have trouble understanding it themselves.
Celeste Dalla Porta provides a wonderful performance in a not-so-fantastic movie. There's one particular scene where she breaks down sobbing. It's clear that Celeste didn't use a teardrop. Her tears are plentifully produced with a little snot bubble for icing on the cake.
Despite the incredible scenery and fully rounded performance from Celeste Dalla Porta, Parthenope lacks a concise vision. It's so jumbled in figuring out what it wants to say next that it doesn't have much to move the audience. It's a collection of ideas that wraps up in an abrupt ending to a movie that feels longer than it really is. Even if you're a fan of slow cinema, it's nice to have that slowness when there's more of a thorough emotional thread. What the film is saying is that anthropology is about seeing the things most people can't see when it comes to their nature. We don't understand why we do the things we do. Why do we pray to a deity when science shows such things don't exist? Why do people who are not physically attractive dive for the girl who's way out of their league? What brings us to suicide? How do we get recognition for our work and who we are? These are burning questions writer/director Paolo Sorrentino addresses in his film, but fails to stick the landing on anything that could be profound.
That's a shame, as there's a lot of potential for Parthenope that goes unchecked as the film meanders from one unanswered question to the next. The movie doesn't need to provide the answers, as most of life is about questions more than answers. All we can do is exist in a confused world. If only Paolo Sorrentino's Parthenope could provide some sort of meaning to his picture's confusion, could it stand on its own two feet.
