Sorrentino’s Parthenope: A Mythical Journey Through Beauty and Elusiveness in Naples
In Greek mythology, Parthenope was a siren who took her own life after failing to seduce Odysseus with her song. Her body washed ashore where Naples now stands. In Paolo Sorrentino’s latest film, aptly titled Parthenope, the titular character is more of a mythical being than a flesh-and-blood woman. Ethereal, untethered, and untouched by the traumas she endures, she drifts through life like a figure from an ancient fable.
The film begins in 1950, with Parthenope’s birth in the waters of the Mediterranean near Naples. The sea, a constant backdrop to her existence, witnesses her joys and sorrows over the next seven decades. Sorrentino traces her life from young adulthood, portrayed by Celeste Dalla Porta, to her later years, played by Italian screen icon Stefania Sandrelli. The episodic narrative weaves through her first love affairs, family tragedies, descent into Naples’ underworld, and her perpetual search for a father figure.
Parthenope becomes an object of desire for every man she encounters, including the director himself. Sorrentino’s gaze lingers on her beauty, capturing her graceful movements and seductive smiles. Yet, he never truly delves into her inner world. To him, she remains a distant muse—a statue with a marble facade, admired but never fully understood.
A pivotal moment arrives when an American writer, portrayed by Gary Oldman, teaches her that beauty can be wielded as a weapon, opening doors like war. This revelation shifts her perspective, but the story’s momentum remains driven by the men around her. Parthenope herself lacks agency, floating through life in a series of kitschy, advertising-like scenes, her path dictated by others.
Sorrentino’s Parthenope feels like a series of postcard-perfect images rather than a cohesive narrative. Without a compelling plot or character development, the film relies heavily on its visual splendor. The protagonist’s journey—from anthropology student to various other incarnations—feels arbitrary, as though she lacks a soul. She exists primarily as a male fantasy, her beauty the only constant in her ever-shifting identity.
The film’s structure mirrors Sorrentino’s fascination with Naples, using Parthenope as a lens to explore the city’s layers. From the grit of its underworld to the opulence of its elite, Naples becomes a character in its own right. Sorrentino pays homage to Federico Fellini, his spiritual mentor, with lush visuals and an eclectic soundtrack blending Wojciech Kilar and Frank Sinatra. Yet, unlike Fellini’s works, these elements fail to coalesce into a unified whole.
The film’s final act, with Stefania Sandrelli taking over the lead role, feels disjointed. The transition lacks continuity, making it seem as though two different characters inhabit the same story. This disconnect leaves audiences questioning how to connect emotionally with a figure so enigmatic and distant.
Sorrentino’s signature style—perfectly symmetrical shots, lingering close-ups, and slow-motion sequences—becomes repetitive, almost neurotic. Even moments of tragedy, like a brother’s suicide, are rendered with a sense of spectacle rather than raw emotion. The film’s beauty feels hollow, masking an absence of genuine depth or intimacy.
At its core, Parthenope explores familiar Sorrentino themes: the fleeting nature of beauty, youth, and love, and the fear of death and loneliness. While visually stunning, the film falters in its self-indulgence, lacking the ironic detachment that once balanced Sorrentino’s grandiosity. What remains is a 136-minute ode to a woman who, like the mythological siren, remains just out of reach—beautiful, elusive, and ultimately unknowable.
N photojournalist, played by Gary Oldman, enters Parthenope’s life. Through his lens, she begins to see herself not just as a muse or an object of desire, but as a subject of her own story. However, this fleeting moment of self-awareness is soon overshadowed by the weight of her mythic existence. The photojournalist’s departure leaves her once more adrift, a figure caught between the tangible world and the ethereal realm of legend.
As the film draws to a close, Sorrentino leaves audiences with a haunting question: Can a woman like Parthenope ever truly escape the confines of myth? Her life, though marked by love, loss, and longing, remains tethered to the sea and the stories it carries. The final scene, set against the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean, sees Parthenope staring into the horizon—a symbol of her eternal search for identity and meaning. In this poignant moment, Sorrentino masterfully blurs the line between reality and myth, leaving us to ponder whether Parthenope is a woman immortalized by legend or a legend masquerading as a woman.
Parthenope is not just a film about one woman’s journey; it is a meditation on the timeless interplay between myth and humanity, desire and detachment, and the eternal quest for self-finding. Sorrentino’s cinematic ode to Naples, the sea, and the enigmatic figure of Parthenope is a visual and emotional masterpiece that lingers long after the credits roll. It invites us to reflect on the stories we tell, the myths we create, and the elusive nature of the human spirit.
Conclusion
Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope is undeniably a feast for the eyes, a cinematic ode to beauty, Naples, and the mythic allure of its titular character. Yet, for all its visual grandeur and opulent aesthetics, the film falls short of delivering a deeply resonant narrative or a fully realized protagonist. Parthenope remains an enigma—a figure more symbolic than human, more muse than person. Her journey, while visually captivating, lacks emotional depth and agency, leaving her adrift in a story dominated by the desires and ambitions of the men around her. Sorrentino’s homage to Naples and his Fellini-esque flourishes are undeniably striking,but they ultimately overshadow the film’s potential to explore the complexities of its central character. Parthenope is,at its core,a beautiful yet hollow meditation on beauty,myth,and the male gaze—a film that dazzles the senses but fails to touch the soul. For audiences seeking a compelling story or a profound character study, it may leave them yearning for more than just its surface-level splendor.