Culture Watch: Parthenope

Acclaimed filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino's latest production is Parthenope - a love-letter to Naples through the decades.

Naples was once called Parthenope - named after one of the sirens of Greek mythology. The legend has it that after she failed to seduce Odysseus, Parthenope drowned herself - her body washing ashore on the island of Megaride where the city of Parthenope was later founded. The name of the city changed to Neapolis - the new city - in the 6th century BC, but the name Parthenope endured.

Sorrentino's tale centres around a young woman, Parthenope - named after the city in which she is born. She seems to have the world at her feet - an affluent family, academically adept, and above all, she is beautiful. But Parthenope is haunted by tragedy and seems to float through life as an observer of the abundant chaos that surrounds her.

As the title character, Celeste Dalla Porta is beautiful - her performance giving Parthenope a wry knowingness that hints at wisdom beyond her years.

The entire film is beautifully shot - this is Naples at its most picturesque and dreamlike, with moments of magic realism that heighten the mythical possibilities of this narrative.

Sorrentino progresses his storytelling through a succession of characters. However the focus doesn't seem to be on building a coherent narrative arc, but more on immersing us in conversations about youth, love, and the tension between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.

Some of these revelatory moments of insight are presented more successfully than others - a sharper edit could have given Sorrentino more punch and urgency in conveying what he's trying to say. Possibly the challenge is that Sorrentino doesn't seems exactly sure what he's trying to say beyond that he really loves Naples.