Parthenope

Parthenope is a drama with fantasy elements set in Naples. Its central figure is a woman born in 1950 who carries the name of the city itself. Beautiful and intelligent, she draws constant attention from men while pursuing her own path through decades of Neapolitan life. She studies anthropology, drifts between lovers and ambitions, and moves from carefree youth toward a distinguished academic career, all while remaining independent. Alongside her, the film follows the people she observes and loves, and the city that shapes them.

The film is Paolo Sorrentino's eleventh directorial feature, arriving after The Hand of God and before La Grazia. Sorrentino wrote the screenplay and produced with Lorenzo Mieli and Anthony Vaccarello. Celeste Dalla Porta plays the title character, with Stefania Sandrelli as an older Parthenope, Gary Oldman as John Cheever, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri and Peppe Lanzetta among a credited cast of sixty. It runs 137 minutes and was made for around 32 million dollars.

Parthenope was released in October 2024 and took about 10 million dollars worldwide. Audiences are warmer than critics: on IMDb it holds 6.5 from 20,000 votes and on TMDB 6.7 from 791, while the critics' rating stands at 5.6 from 101 reviews.