“I don’t know anything, but I like everything.” A phrase both naive and puzzling, but by the time it rolls off the titular character’s tongue in Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, it doesn’t matter. We are under her spell. She can do no wrong because, up until that point, she is painted as this perfect, almost mystic enchantress too beautiful for the rules of life to apply to. But, as Sorrentino's charmingly chaotic coming-of-age film demonstrates, even the beautiful are not exempt from life’s ugly truths.

 

The story begins in Naples, Italy. The year is 1950. A woman gives birth to a baby girl by the Mediterranean Sea. Unable to come up with a name, a family friend suggests Parthenope, after a local Greek settlement which, in turn, is named after a mythical siren. Eighteen years later, she has grown up to be a young attractive woman. Ironically, she has become somewhat of a siren herself with her effortless ability to capture any man’s gaze. Though she is aware of the power she has over others, she doesn't want anything handed to her. And although she focuses on becoming a scholar admired for her intellect, her looks consistently lead her to become entangled in a series of bizarre and tragic situations.

 

Celeste Dalla Porta is a revelation as Parthenope. The way she walks, the way she talks, and the way in which she owns every second of screen time here genuinely feels like you’re watching a star being born in real time. While it’s easy to get just as lost in her striking looks as the characters in the film, she defines her role with such subtle melancholy that empathy overtakes objectification. Because Parthenope is unable to let herself go in the arms of another or be loved, it’s both beautiful and tragic that we as the audience are the only way her ultimate desire of being truly seen is fulfilled. 

 

Now, Sorrentino is no stranger to the concept of beauty. Most notably, he won an Academy Award for directing a film called The Great Beauty. But here, he attempts to have a deeper conversation about how it can be more damaging than dazzling.
 

As previously mentioned, Parthenope struggles with emotional intimacy. That’s because her beauty doubles as both a protective bubble and a prison. It’s so intimidating that most men only want to admire her from afar. But with that same power, it limits her inner circle. Now, Parthenope’s loneliness is not a cautionary tale. It’s just Sorrentino’s way of showing us that desire looks differently to everyone. While Parthenope is a desire for so many, what she desires is something far less superficial.

​

Now, Parthenope isn’t the only means with which Sorrentino explores beauty. She also acts a Trojan horse meeting other characters with vital lessons about it too. For example, there comes a point in the film where she meets an aging actress. Despite also being beautiful herself, after a brief exchange it becomes clear that her ugly personality is literally causing her decay.

 

And this isn’t the only instance where Parthenope encounters decay either. After tragedy strikes her family, both the beautiful city she calls home and the seaside estate that she was born in begin to fall apart. One due to cholera, the other due to neglect. As Naples eventually recovers, we see another profound revelation from Sorrentino: perseverance always prospers, while pain becomes permanent when left unchecked and untreated. 

 

No story rooted in Greek mythology would be complete without an appearance of a monster. And Parthenope checks that off the list in a surprisingly tasteful way. But it’s impossible to mention any more without giving away one of the character’s most meaningful arcs. The bottom line is that, here, Sorrentino makes a decision to explore the limits of physicality through a lens of limitless wonder. And he does it all, well, beautifully. 

 

The film’s only shortcoming is its length. At 2 hours and 16 minutes, it surprisingly feels much longer. There are moments in the third act - and epilogue - that could have been trimmed. In particular, just after the credits begin, there’s a cut to a one-take shot that doesn’t add much to the film other than an additional 3-4 minutes. 

 

Now, Paolo Sorrentino’s latest meditation on life, love and looks may not be his best film, but it's admirably his most ambitious. Anchored by a star-making performance by Celesta Dalla Porta, it has the power to both make you see and think differently. Not because of the ways he explores beauty, but the ways he challenges you to identify it in your own life.