Parthenope (2025)

Paulo Sorrentino returns to Naples once again after his partially autobiographical The Hand of God (2021), with Parthenope; a tale of a young Neapolitan woman who traverses the trials and tribulations of womanhood amongst the cities most vibrant and bizarre characters, wowing everyone in her path with her own beauty.

Many have accused Sorrentino for falling foul of self-parody and self-indulgence for this, his tenth full length feature; and yet while Parthenope doesn't reach the heights of Il Divo (2008), The Great Beauty (2013) or indeed the aforementioned The Hand of God (2021)- what it perhaps lacks in emotional pull it makes up for in cinematic beauty.

Visuals along are not enough to hang a film on however, and thankfully Sorrentino knows this, despite his astonishing ability to give a city its own character simply from the way he shoots them. Celeste Dalla Porta is Parthenope, named after a Siren in Greek mythology, a women gawped at by everyone who meets her; including her own brother, leading to all kinds of trouble as she attempts to lead her own love life but without exactly pushing him away.

Sorrentino has always been fascinated by women on screen, and whether you consider Parthenope (or indeed much of his other work) as an homage to the beauty of women or simply chauvinistic leering is very much up to you. For me, there's more than enough proof in Sorrentino's back catalogue to prove the former, and Parthenope, to an extent, is a culmination of Sorrentino's genuine awe.

That's not to say Parthenope is without its flaws; the fawning over Parthenope by nearly every character on screen can frustratingly blind them. But having said that, it's in the characters that aren't simply bowled over by her that we find the real core of the film. Once Parthenope has decided she may want to become an academic anthropologist, she is helped in her quest by her course professor (played with terrific world weary resignation by Silvio Orlando) someone who refuses to succumb to her charm and makes her all the better for it. She's also delighted to meet Gary Oldman's drunken author (a personal favourite of hers), who turns up for a couple of scenes before disappearing- a not unwelcome cameo, but perhaps one that warns Parthenope of a path she doesn't want to take.

So perhaps in the end- backed up by a truly stunning final third- Sorrentino delivers his message that he has subtly been aiming for all along. Beauty is stunning and can propel your entire life if you so choose, but it can lead to a certain vacuousness. Intelligence and understanding, gained by the art of curiosity and learning, eventually drives Parthenope, both the character and Sorrentino's truly beautiful film.

Sorrentino weaves his subtext through a very fine line of visual beauty, and many have simply been frustrated by it. I went in expecting one thing, and was initially baffled but ultimately won over by the way he brings everything full circle. Parthenope isn't Sorrentino's finest film, but feels like one that will reward with repeat viewings. I for one can't wait to see it again; a testament to Sorrentino's astonishing ability to fool you into thinking you're simply in love with the visuals and that it's all surface beauty- and before you know it, you're completely invested in everything that's going on. 7.8/10