US audiences have become a little more willing to embrace foreign language movies in recent years, with movies like Parasite, RRR and Anatomy of a Fall becoming solid hits. The next possible such movie is Parthenope, which comes from acclaimed Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino and stars Gary Oldman alongside a cast of Italian actors, including a newcomer in the titular lead role.
Parthenope is going to feature plenty of Italian dialogue for sure, but with Oldman, the movie is going to be partly in English as well, which could help lower the barrier of entry for some. But if anyone knows how to turn this kind of movie into a hit it’s A24, who is distributing Parthenope. They did so with another movie that balanced English and a foreign language, Past Lives.
To find out more about Parthenope — when it’s premiering, who’s starring in it and the trailer — read on for everything you need to know.
Parthenope release date
A24 is going to release Parthenope exclusively in movie theaters on February 7, 2025, in the US. It looks like the movie will arrive a few months later in the UK, May 2, to be exact.
This is one of the early 2025 new movies that A24 is rolling out, as the indie studio/distributor also has The Legend of Ochi and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl hitting movie theaters in the first few months of 2025.
Parthenope cast
Gary Oldman is the big name in the cast, as the Oscar winner (Darkest Hour) and current star of hit spy series Slow Horses, plays real-life American novelist John Cheever.
The movie’s main star though is newcomer Celeste Dalla Porta, as she plays the title character Parthenope. Dalla Porta had a bit part in Sorrentino’s previous movie The Hand of God and a role in the Italian limited series Red Mirror.
The rest of the Parthenope cast is made up of Stefania Sandrell, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri, Isabella Ferrari, Silvia Degrandi, Lorenzo Gleijeses, Daniele Rienzo, Dario Aita, Marlon Joubert, Alfonso Santagata, Biagio Izzo and Peppe Lanzetta.
Parthenope plot
As he does with most of his movies, Sorrentino also wrote the script for Parthenope. Here is the movie’s official synopsis:
“Parthenope, born in the sea of Naples in 1950, searches for happiness over the long summers of her youth, falling in love with her home city and its many memorable characters. From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino comes a monumental and deeply romantic story of a lifetime.”
The movie is inspired by a legendary siren that became a Neapolitan deity.
Parthenope trailer
The trailer for Parthenope is here. It looks like another gorgeous movie from Sorrentino that may have you wondering how much a flight to Italy is right now. Watch right here:
Parthenope reviews
Parthenope first premiered back at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. As a result, there are a handful of reviews for the movie already out. There’s a bit more debate among critics than with some of Sorrentino’s previous movies. Find out what critics are saying about it on Rotten Tomatoes.
Paolo Sorrentino movies
Paolo Sorrentino is an Italian filmmaker who, despite his clout in international cinema growing, hasn’t made the full leap to Hollywood. He still primarily chooses to shoot in his home country and, mostly, in his native language. A couple of exceptions include indie movies This Must Be the Place with Sean Penn and Youth starring Michael Caine, as well as the TV series The Young Pope and The New Pope.
Here is a complete look at Sorrentino’s feature directing credits to date, per IMDb:
- One Man Up (2001)
- The Consequences of Love (2004)
- The Family Friend (2006)
- Il Divo (2008)
- Napoli 24 (2010)
- This Must Be the Place (2011)
- The Great Beauty (2013)
- Rio, I Love You (2014)
- Youth (2015)
- Loro (2018)
- Loro 1 (2018)
- Loro 2 (2018)
- The Hand of God (2021)
Parthenope behind the scenes
Sorrentino shot the movie in Naples, Italy, marking the second time he used his childhood home as the location for one of his movies, after The Hand of God.
In addition to A24’s participation, the movie is a production by Fremantle Film, Piper Film and Pathé. Sorrentino also produced the movie along with Lorenzo Mieli, Anthony Vaccarello and Ardavan Safaee.
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