Parthenope

Writer/director Paolo Sorrentino's film examines the life of a young woman (the stunning Celeste Dalla Porta) in Naples, highlighting various moments in her life (some of which sequences work better than others). Jumping forward in bursts, the film begins with Parthenope's birth, then jumping forward to her flirtateous and incestuous relationship with her brother (Daniele Rienzo) and his best friend (Dario Aita), her years in college, various romantic troubles, a short acting stint, and a return to academia.

Parthenope isn't more than the sum of its parts. However, some of those parts do work quite well. Others, not so much. Dalla Porta is certainly the highlight of the film cast the title role. The camera loves her, although the script keeps her at arms length treating the audience like the men who have garnered her attention, showing us glimpses of different sides of her but never the whole.

I quite enjoyed the relationship between Parthenope and her college advisor (Silvio Orlando), which is by far the most interesting relationship of the film, and her short (but memorable) time with Cardinal Tesorone (Peppe Lanzetta). Other segments, such as her relationship with Roberto Criscuolo (Marlon Joubert), her short friendship with an author (Gary Oldman), her strained relationshp with her parents, and her momentary interest in acting are much more of a mixed bag with much of those scenes feeling like filler.

Even if not all the sequences work, the settings in Naples and Capri are always beautifully shot by Daria D'Antonio. Love it or hate it, Parthenope is a great film to look at. Some have dismissed the film as vapid or shallow, and I think those arguments can certainly be made. However, there's more going on under the surface than what gets resolved on-screen.

It certainly offers its visual pleasures, but also something to think about after the closing credits have rolled. Even if those thoughts will be as much about what fails as what is successful, there's obvious skill in what is brought to the screen. Far from a train wreck, Parthenope is a film that only works about half the time, but even when it struggles it kept my interest to see if it could find one more amusing moment (even if it can't quite string togeter enough of those for a fully successful film).

• Title: Parthenope
• IMDb: link