The father, the former mayor of Naples, named the newborn girl in honor of the siren who turned into a wonderful city. The divine Partenope (played in her youth by actress and model Celeste Dalla Porta, in her mature years by actress Stefania Sandrelli) is destined to embody the irresistible, maddening, vital passions of youth. It is like a mirage, memories of past joys or tragedies. The Parthenope is a living reflection of the irreversible past in the city, whose graceful silhouette, indescribable beauty is most evident when viewed from a luxurious villa on the island of Capri.
Paolo Sorrentino ("Great Beauty", "Youth"), this time collaborating with the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house, creates a very stylish and shiny spectacle. The film camera and the characters, entering the same space with Partenope, really cannot take their eyes off her (Gary Oldman, Silvio Orlando played great roles). The world marvels at her, and she, having chosen the path of an anthropologist, explores the world. As Sorrentino follows the life of Partenope over several decades, viewers will recognize motifs from the director's previous films in the surreal and touchingly sentimental dream.