L'avventura (1960)

I think it's fair to say that I didn't get it. L'avventura is a misnomer. The Adventure implies that there will be some action, but there is none. And I typically don't mind a film that just wanders for a bit, but I had a hard time empathizing with these older upper class Italians. Is the affair the adventure? I think that's sort of misleading.

The premise is that Anna and her lover and their friends go on a cruise to the Aeolian Islands and Sicily, and while they're on this rock of an island, Anna disappears (spoiler alert: never to be found again). They spend a good deal of time looking for her to no avail, but there's a point in the movie, where they basically just give up and that's that. The plot is abandoned for a new plot, with the old plot serving only as pretext to the new one. Look, I get it. She gets replaced by Claudia. But quite frankly, I'm left unconvinced. She is so distraught at losing her friend one moment, and the next she's falling in love with her friend's lover (which I think happens to abruptly), and then abandons the search. They don't follow all the clues they're given. They forget Anna. Sure, I understand that he's highlighting the emptiness and aimlessness of the bourgeoisie, maybe too rich for their own good. I just have a hard time feeling bad for them. I think La Dolce Vita plays with these existentialist themes in a more engaging way.

That is not to detract from Monica Vitti, who is divine. Her character is emotionally complex and she shows it well. Visually, the movie is beautiful.  I know it's a really big deal. Maybe it requires a second viewing. Maybe I just haven't lived enough yet to fully appreciate it. Or maybe I need to join the ranks of the aristocrats to really get it.