Feature Film
Official Selection: 79th Venice International Film Festival (2022) (Horizons Extra)
Official Selection: 47th Toronto International Film Festival (2022) (Contemporary World Cinema)
In Curzon cinemas in UK in 2023 | Italian Cinema Release: 13th October 2022 || UK, US/Canada rights acquired
“It is a movie that sustains its own very stylish and confident language […] It is a film of style and surface, and these are cleverly created and maintained.”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, ★★★★
"This eccentric, eye-catching film [...] is as oddly endearing as it is enraging."
"Cavalli’s sharp dialogue and Lorenzo Levrini’s stylish cinematography — isolating shots and bold alternating colour palettes — capture the zeitgeist of cultural irreverence and the underlying thrum of anxiety particular to Gen Z. The result is a film that feels completely modern while evoking the energy of youth-centred New Wave cinemas."
Robyn Citizen, TIFF
"With cinematographer Lorenzo Levrini, Cavalli is able to express how Amanda is surrounded by shambling decadence in expensive but decaying houses, a foundation where her standing is never threatened but no longer look like they allow for the capability to grow [...] Cavalli makes it so easy to fall for her and as you see Amanda break out of the gilded cage she finds herself in, it feels like a breakthrough for its wildly talented filmmaker as well."
Stephen Saito, The Moveable Feast
"The film’s visuals have a vintage mood, with an atmosphere more reminiscent of an imagined 70s than of anything contemporary (Given by Martino Bonanomi’s production design, Francesca Cibischino’s costumes but above all by DOP Lorenzo Levrini’s light)."
Alice Catucci, Sentieri Selvaggi
"The off-kilter framing and unceasing movement of Lorenzo Levrini’s cinematography mirror Amanda’s restless spirit. The quarter-life crisis has seldom been so entertaining."
Tara Brady, The Irish Times
"Arguably not since Wes Anderson's Rushmore has a movie channeled this sort of vibe in such a visually refreshing manner. Cinematographer Lorenzo Levrini captures an environment that is at once scenic and stifling; Amanda lives in the sort of town you'd love to visit but would probably drive you mad if you had to live there."
Eric Hillis, The Movie Waffler
"Amanda exudes a sort of Sorrentino-like thoughtful absurdity with Lorenzo Levrini's satisfyingly complex lensing and Babak Jalali's inspired editing."
Richard Propes, The Independent Critic
"Amanda’s style is singular without calling so much attention to itself as to distract from the story. In this, it recalls any number of French New Wave films, such as François Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player, that put style in the service of conveying the subjectivity of their characters."
William Repass, Slant Magazine
Starring Benedetta Porcaroli, Galatea Bellugi, Michele Bravi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
Amanda, 24, lives mostly isolated and has never had any friends, even if it’s the thing she wants the most. When she discovers that as toddlers her and Rebecca used to spend a lot of time together, Amanda chooses her new mission: to convince her that they are still best friends.
Director: Carolina Cavalli
Producers: Annamaria Morelli / Antonio Celsi
Production Company: Elsinore Film
Red Gemini / Leica Summicron-C