The director’s latest film, A24’s “Parthenope,” is now in theaters.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Warning: This article contains spoilers forParthenope.
Like his previous film,Parthenopeis an unflinchingly honest love letter to Sorrentinos native Naples.
Paolo Sorrentino.Credit:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
But the trip is also marked by a devastating loss.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: WatchingHand of GodandParthenopeback to back, they flow together almost like companion pieces.
When did you first conceive of this film?
Celeste Dalla Porta in ‘Parthenope’.Gianni Fiorito/A24
Still, both films are marked by tragedy and sadness.
What is it about this version of youth in this film that appeals to you?
I make dramas, and so drama is part of the film.
Celeste Dalla Porta, Dario Aita, and Daniele Rienzo in ‘Parthenope’.Gianni Fiorito/A24
This is what I didn’t fully experience.
I felt like I went through my own city without truly experiencing it, without truly living it.
I went through my summers without fully living them with a circuit of constant pain.
Gary Oldman in ‘Parthenope’.Gianni Fiorito/A24
We see many sides of Naples in the film.
For non-Italian audiences, what should we know about Naples that maybe Italians understand but Americans don’t?
It’s a universal experience, actually.
Paolo Sorrentino and director of photograhy Daria D’Antonio on the set of ‘Parthenope’.Gianni Fiorito/A24
And with her inhabitants, the people that populate her, she keeps hiding herself.
This movie doesn’t work without the right actor for Parthenope.
I found her through auditions.
I saw many actresses that came out of film schools, and she’d gone to film school.
Actually, choosing an actor is always a leap in the dark.
Before the movie, I didn’t have any certainty.
I didn’t necessarily trust that it would go that way.
Choosing an actor is exactly like that for me.
You’ve described Gary Oldman as a top-five actor in the world.
How do you direct someone like that?
I sit back and enjoy the show.
The close bond between Parthenope, Sandrino, and Raimondo feels so real.
How did you develop that intimacy and camaraderie with them leading up to the film?
So they did, and they became close.
They became friends, and then at a later stage during the shoot, they became too close.
Well, no, the deep reasons behind a suicide go beyond individual events.
What is it about this kind of taboo love that interests you?
In the film, Cheevers says that the young opt shamelessly for despair.
Why do you think that’s true if you do believe that yourself?
Well, this has some autobiographical notes.
I kind of took a liking to it.
I remember also that it was a common feature of a lot of my friends.
In the end, Parthenope says, Love for survive has been a failure… or maybe not.
What does that mean to you?
The Jennifer Lawrence projects are not projects that are slated to go forward at this time.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
