Respond to these rapid questions in our Italian Studies quiz and we will tell you which Italian Studies character you are. Play it now.
It would be equivalent to resetting a person’s memory to its factory defaults if they lost all recall of their past. Although one would possess the standard qualities of humanity, one would lack the lived-in experiences that come from success, failure, and being in the company of other individuals.
Italian Studies, a mildly auspicious but ultimately disappointing film, presents Vanessa Kirby with the challenge of bringing such an experience to life on the big screen. This enigmatic drama from writer/director Adam Leon follows a woman (Kirby) who is unable to recall her own name or any other details about her own identity.
She walks into a hardware store one day on a routine day. By the time she walks out the door, it’s as if a switch has been flipped and she has completely forgotten everything that has happened. She then wanders aimlessly through the city, possibly for a single night or for several days, depending on how disoriented she has become. The endless stride of Kirby’s character is sometimes captured from a distance and from above, as if she is being watched over, while there is a sense of being close to her in the midst of overstimulating urban chaos, which is captured in the film. The accompanying soundscape, which is comprised of voices and noises that cross over each other’s sonic boundaries, only adds to our sense of disorientation. Bright nightlights combine with the energetic and eclectic camera movements of cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz, whose transfixing work surrounds the story and makes it seem like a dream.
Even if the intoxicating effect of these choices wears off after a few scenes, the way the editing team (four editors are credited) creates what can be described as cinematic synapses with a stream-of-consciousness type of fluidity makes for something that is more compelling as an experiential piece rather than a narrative piece.
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The woman responds to impulses, to the impetus of spontaneous interpersonal connections, and to the demands of her biological needs because she is a blank slate with no past and no baggage. She disregards all of her socially prescribed apprehensions about conversing with strangers, and she even agrees to spend time with them in their company. Because of her clear head, she has a level of reckless freedom and constant reinvention; she is able to catch up with the lies she has made up along the way, leading us to question whether memory has been a hindrance to our enjoyment of life the entire time.
Given the way Kirby’s character acts during the ordeal as a result of her cognitive condition, it becomes clear that the compassion and understanding shown to her might not have been the same if the main character had been a person of color. Because she is a white woman dressed in fashionable clothing, those in her immediate vicinity regard her as eccentric rather than threatening, despite her erratic behavior.
Italian Studies Quiz
Whether or not she will remember this equally terrifying and exhilarating privilege of going with the flow, even on a subconscious level, remains to be seen. A brief scene early in the film suggests that this lapse may be only temporary, but provides no further information. However, as enticing as piecing together the misleading information can be, Leon’s commitment to ambiguity isn’t strong enough to persuade the reader to surrender completely to sensations and stop worrying about what it all means in the end.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Italian Studies quiz.
Approximately halfway through, Kirby’s woman discovers that she may be Alina Reynolds, the author of a collection of short stories titled Italian Studies, which causes her to reevaluate her self-perception. She is effective in conveying a sense of apprehension and bewilderment, but her performance is unfortunately one-note because she rarely breaks out of the perpetually hazy mode of staring into the distance. Simon Brickner, who plays a troubled adolescent who crosses her path and accepts her into his group of friends, is the film’s scene-stealing performance of the year. Brickner’s performance exudes a sense of vulnerability and playfulness.
As the episode progresses, Leon begins to switch between Kirby and a younger version of the character, under the pretense that she might be a writer herself. In addition, Leon intersperses interviews with Simon’s friends, who are all working through their own emotions. Despite the fact that these passages are schematic, they are emotionally satisfying; the lines between memory and reality have been crossed far too many times at this point, resulting in a deliberate lack of clarity.
About the quiz
A narrative exercise that is both nostalgic and nostalgically appealing, Leon’s third feature is a frustratingly repetitive narrative exercise. “Italian Studies” is a work that relentlessly experiments with form, but which never quite comes together.
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The film is currently playing in theaters and is also available on demand.
For more personality quizzes check this: Julia Quiz.
