Parthenope (film)

Parthenope
Release poster
Directed by	Paolo Sorrentino
Written by	Paolo Sorrentino
Produced by	Lorenzo Mieli Ardavan Safaee Paolo Sorrentino Anthony Vaccarello
Starring	Celeste Dalla Porta Stefania Sandrelli Gary Oldman Silvio Orlando Luisa Ranieri Peppe Lanzetta Isabella Ferrari
Cinematography	Daria D'Antonio
Edited by	Cristiano Travaglioli
Music by	Lele Marchitelli
Production companies	The Apartment Pictures Pathé
Distributed by	PiperFilm (Italy, through Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia) Pathé Distribution (France)
Release dates	21 May 2024 (2024-5-21) (Cannes) 24 October 2024 (2024-10-24) (Italy) 12 March 2025 (2025-3-12) (France)
Running time	136 minutes
Countries	Italy France
Languages	Italian Neapolitan English
Box office	$10.4 million

Parthenope is a 2024 coming-of-age drama film written, produced and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. An international co-production between Italy and France, the film stars Celeste Dalla Porta, Stefania Sandrelli, Gary Oldman, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri, Peppe Lanzetta and Isabella Ferrari.

Parthenope was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 21 May 2024. It was theatrically released in Italy by PiperFilm on 24 October 2024. It has received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

In 1950, the Di Sangro family awaits the birth of their second child. The birth, which takes place in the waters of Posillipo, is attended by her older brother Raimondo and Sandrino, son of the housekeeper of the luxurious mansion where the family lives; she is given the name Parthenope in honor of the city of Naples. The little girl, thanks to the protection of her wealthy godfather Achille Lauro, lives a comfortable and happy childhood.

By 1970, Parthenope has become an intelligent and cheeky twenty-year-old, aware of her beauty and the influence she has on Sandrino, who has always been in love with her, and Raimondo, who has become a fragile man and obsessed with his sister, almost to the point of incest. Parthenope successfully attends the anthropology course of Professor Devoto Marotta, who is severe and feared by everyone: his temperament is said to be due to the fact that he has a severely disabled son to support, but no one knows whether this is true or not. A relationship of cold respect is immediately established between the girl and the teacher.

During the summer, Raimondo suggests to Parthenope and Sandrino that they go on holiday to Capri, where he intends to court a rich heiress; despite knowing her brother's fragility, Parthenope accepts. On the island, Parthenope’s uninhibited behaviour attracts the attention of many people, including the writer John Cheever and a wealthy entrepreneur: the first will teach her to enjoy everything that her youth will be able to procure for her; the other tries to seduce her with promises of wealth, but she refuses. Meanwhile Raimondo succeeds in his attempt to ingratiate himself with the heiress, but when he kisses her he discovers that he cannot love any woman other than his sister. When Sandrino manages to wrest sexual intercourse from her, Raimondo will commit suicide by throwing himself from the cliffs of Capri. Her father and mother, believing Parthenope to be guilty of his death, will adopt a closed attitude towards her, causing a fracture that will never heal.

Later, in 1974, unable to overcome her sense of guilt, Parthenope asks Professor Marotta to support a degree thesis on the topic of suicide; the professor accepts her as a thesis student, but suggests that she analyze another topic, the cultural impact of the miracle. Shortly after, however, Parthenope interrupts her studies: remembering that in Capri she had been noticed by a film agent, she tries to become an actress. First she goes to Flora Malva, an elderly diva who permanently wears a mask after being disfigured by plastic surgery; she shows her that glory and fame bring profound loneliness. Flora then directs her to Greta Cool, an elderly actress of Neapolitan origins, who has been living in Northern Italy for some time: during a New Year's Eve party in her honor, the woman vents against Naples and the Neapolitans, guilty in her opinion of never having loved her enough; Cool suggests to Parthenope not to be enchanted by the worldliness.

Parthenope meets Roberto Criscuolo, a charming boss who takes her to the working-class neighborhoods of Naples, where the girl discovers misery and poverty; here, she witnesses a shocking ritual called the great fusion, during which the heirs of two Camorra families (including the one to which Roberto belongs) will publicly unite to conceive a child who will mark the end of their feud. Following a casual relationship, Parthenope becomes pregnant by Criscuolo, but voluntarily procures an abortion. Shortly after, before moving to Milan for work, Sandrino declares his love for Parthenope for the umpteenth time; she reacts by blaming him for Raimondo's death, also predicting that they will never see each other again: Sandrino's love is in fact a pure youthful feeling, while adulthood will bring him disenchantment and problems. Later, while Italy falls into the Years of Lead, Parthenope graduates with top marks, and Marotta takes her on as his assistant: the professor seems to sense the dramas behind her life, but continues to treat her with detachment, although without ever judging her.

In 1982, Parthenope is now a brilliant researcher. She receives a request from an anthropology magazine to write an article on the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro and decides to turn to Cardinal Tesorone, custodian of the ampoules of the Saint, to analyze the phenomenon; Marotta warns her about the prelate, whom he calls a notorious scoundrel. The cardinal promises Parthenope to show her the treasure of San Gennaro after the mass in which the blood will liquefy. In reality, the miracle does not occur, but a woman in menopause claims that her menstrual cycle has miraculously returned, which greatly annoys Tesorone. Later, the cardinal will dress Parthenope with the jewels from the treasure of the Saint, explaining to her how in his opinion Neapolitan spirituality is nothing but a useless machination divided between popular superstition and worldliness. Tesorone, although aware of her own lack of attractiveness, also asks her to have sexual intercourse: Parthenope accepts, and during the act the blood of San Gennaro liquefies.

Marotta announces to Parthenope that he wants to retire, and suggests that she take the competition in Trento so that she can win it and return to Naples after a few years of teaching at the local university: at first Parthenope refuses, because of her love for the city whose name she bears, but the experience with Tesorone makes her change her mind. Before saying goodbye, Marotta finally introduces her to his son, an enormous being halfway between a newborn and an adult, obese and with a childish sense of humor, made "of water and salt, like the sea": Parthenope will be fascinated by him. Instead of returning to Naples, once she became a professor, Parthenope remained to teach in Trento.

By 2023, having retired, she finally decides to return to her city. Having gone to Capri, Parthenope finally has the opportunity to deal with the mourning for Raimondo's death; reflecting, Parthenope realizes that she has always had the same contradictions as Naples, however welcoming and able to face even the most terrible pains. Feeling part of the city again, Parthenope smiles serenely in front of a group of fans celebrating the victory of the third championship.

Cast

• Celeste Dalla Porta as Parthenope
  • Stefania Sandrelli as older Parthenope
• Gary Oldman as John Cheever
• Silvio Orlando as Devoto Marotta
• Luisa Ranieri as Greta Cool
• Peppe Lanzetta as Bishop
• Isabella Ferrari as Flora Malva
• Lorenzo Gleijeses as Sasa
• Daniele Rienzo as Raimondo
• Dario Aita as Sandrino
• Marlon Joubert as Roberto Criscuolo
• Alfonso Santagata as Comandante
• Biagio Izzo
• Paola Calliari
• Nello Mascia as Riccardo Macchia
• Silvia Degrandi as Maggie
• Cristiano Scotto di Galletta as gardener

Production

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, "nor myth".

Parthenope was co-produced by Lorenzo Mieli for Fremantle's The Apartment Pictures and Ardavan Safaee for Pathé, in association with Sorrentino's Numero 10, PiperFilm, Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent Productions and Logical Content Ventures. In August 2023, Gary Oldman was announced as part of the cast.

Principal photography took place in Naples and on the nearby island of Capri. Sorrentino worked with cinematographer Daria D'Antonio, who previously shot The Hand of God.

Release

Parthenope was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 21 May 2024 and earned a nine-and-a-half minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.

Prior to its Cannes premiere, A24 acquired North American distribution rights to the film. In May 2024, the formation of a new Italian distribution and international sales company named PiperFilm was announced, with Netflix as its partner for the post-theatrical window and with agreement reached with Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia for operational theatrical distribution of its films. Parthenope was named to be PiperFilm's first acquisition, and was released on 24 October 2024. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on 12 March 2025 in France by Pathé, which also handled international sales. A24 has set a U.S. release for 7 February 2025. The UK and Ireland theatrical release is scheduled for 2 May 2025 by Picturehouse Entertainment.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 44% of 79 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Equal parts sumptuous and vapid, Parthenope gains some radiance thanks to Celeste Dalla Porta's arresting performance but frustratingly finds writer-director Paolo Sorrentino out of his depth." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw dismissed the film as being "facile" and "conceited", accusing Sorrentino of "pure self-parody" and likening the film to a long-form advertisement for expensive cologne. Cineuropa's Davide Abbatescianni defines it as Sorrentino's "less accomplished feature film, technically impeccable but narratively weak," adding how Dalla Porta's character "is too cryptic," making the audience "struggle to understand her behaviour, her arrogance and audacity, and the many bombastic and didactic conversations she's part of."

Accolades

List of awards and nominations for Parthenope

Award or film festival	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Cannes Film Festival	25 May 2024	Palme d'Or	Paolo Sorrentino	Nominated
		CST Award for Best Artist-Technician	Daria D'Antonio	Won

External links

• Parthenope at IMDb