Amanda (2022)
41KAmanda (2022). 1h 33m
“I was so happy to see Amanda, the first movie by a young and very promising Italian director!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s a indie movie that explores solitude and lack of meaning and purpose in the rich world, in a comic way, to cathartically laugh about it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll characters show different traits of malaise:nAmanda the protagonist, an entitled girl with a strong and straightforward attitude, doesnu0026#39;t have any friends and purpose in life. She relentlessly tries to meet people in a world where everybody seems to be surrounded by equally introvert individuals too scared and lost to connect. In techno raves one can be together without communicating with the others and, conversely, on chatroulette one can talk to random strangers without having them close, in both ways there seems to be no meaningful communication.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe girl that is to become friend of Amanda shows another side of loneliness, she has cut herself out of the world and doesnu0026#39;t want to have any interaction with the others, living in a state of calm apathy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThese girls, two wealthy outcasts, are an hymn to being different and they also remember us, along with their problematic family members, that wealth has also its downsides.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie lingers on bizarre scenes and dialogues that are reminiscent of Sorrentino imagery, the plot is original and unpredictable. Here and there there are hints at other themes like consumerism (the idealisation of objects, and they might even substitute loved ones) and religion (a perceived oddity in a secular world) that delight the spectator with unexpected surreal witty fun.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe city where the action takes place is never intentionally mentioned (in the real world it is Turin, probably not even just that but also different places across Piedmont region), I think it is meant to be a generic first world city where first world issues take place. The urban scenes in neon light convey a sense of anonymity and, in their own way, so do the rich villas.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI am looking forward to seeing the next movies by Carolina Cavalli! I am so happy to see a new star rising in Italian cinema.”
