Italian Film Night: Parthenope
Event Details:
- Date: Tuesday, 11th November 2025
- Time: Starts at 7:30 pm
- Venue: Meta House Phnom Penh, #48, 12207 Street 228, Phnom Penh
- Admission: Free, No Registration
- Language: Italian with English Subtitles
This is a film screening curated by Davide Posca, in collaboration with Meta House and Italian Cambodian Arts.
Synopsis of Parthenope (2024)
Paolo Sorrentino's Parthenope is a sweeping and visually sumptuous cinematic epic that chronicles the long, enigmatic life of its titular heroine. Born in the shimmering waters of the Gulf of Naples in the 1950s, Parthenope shares her name with the mythical Siren said to have founded the city. Throughout the film, she is not just a woman but an embodiment of Naples itself—its captivating beauty, its profound melancholy, its ancient spirit, and its modern chaos.
The narrative follows her from a golden, sun-drenched youth spent between the vibrant streets of Naples and the idyllic shores of Capri. Her almost mythical beauty captivates everyone she meets—from enigmatic lovers to intellectuals and eccentrics who populate Sorrentino's universe. Yet, Parthenope is driven by a desire for something more than adoration. Rejecting a conventional path, she pursues a career in anthropology, seeking to understand the deeper currents of humanity beyond the surface of her own stunning appearance.
As time passes, the film explores her journey through love, profound loss, and disillusionment. The unfulfilled promises of her youth give way to a mature, introspective search for meaning and freedom from the gaze of others. Her path is dotted with significant encounters, including with a melancholic American writer (Gary Oldman), that challenge her perceptions of life and art.
Ultimately, Parthenope is less a straightforward biography and more a poetic meditation on the passage of time, the fleeting nature of beauty, and the indelible bond between a person and a place. It is Sorrentino's grand, operatic love letter to his city, seen through the eyes of a woman who is its living soul.