Parthenope (2024)

In Sorrentino’s last poem written by his camera, Parthenope witness a woman’s life journey spanning more than half a century. Parthenope captures the soul of Naples, the city’s deep complexities, and the faces that bear the traces of love, freedom, and lost time, all of which are integral to its essence. With Daria D’Antonio’s striking cinematography and Sorrentino’s enchanting storytelling, the film captures both ordinary and unforgettable moments in this ancient city.

From Parthenope’s birth in 1950 to the present, this life journey presents a tale of a woman filled with an intense passion, not for heroism, but for freedom, Naples, and all the faces of love—
real, complex, and indescribable. The perfect summers of Capri, the carefree days of youth, and a period that ends with an unexpected
ambush… And then there are the others— Neapolitans, men and women, observed and loved, full of disappointment but also of life;
waves of melancholy, tragic ironies, and sorrowful glances. Whether ordinary or extraordinary, they understand how long life can be. The passage of time opens up a wide range of emotions.

All the while, Naples serves as both a distant and close backdrop; this indescribable city mesmerizes, laughs, and always knows how to hurt you. Sorrentino’s “Parthenope” immortalizes both a life and a city, offering an epic filled with ghostly voices, sorrowful glances, and love that defies time as it rises from the streets of Naples. As both a city and a character, Naples takes center stage, leaving the audience with a captivating poem filled with the traces of a life.

“Parthenope” serves as an elegy, reminding us of the priceless value of every moment within the endless cycle of life, whether ordinary or
extraordinary.

Nil Birinci