Meryl Streep: an enduring Icon
Meryl Streep, one of the most celebrated and versatile actresses of our time, received yet another accolade at the Cannes Film Festival. During her acceptance speech, she said, <<Just so grateful that you haven’t gotten sick of my face and you haven’t gotten off the train>>. This simple yet profoundly significant statement reflects the humility and awareness of an artist who, despite a stellar career, never takes the audience's affection for granted.All the great directors have sought her out, wanted her, accompanied her, and valued her: Spielberg, Eastwood, Pollack, Zemeckis, Wajda, Benton, just to name a few. And each time, Streep has delivered her best performances. When asked what makes a good director, she responded: <<Being confident. That's it. A good director knows what to say, instills calmness in the crew, creates a great atmosphere, but above all has the urgency to tell stories, even in comedies. If I don't find that? I just go home>>.
Her career, which began with Julia by Fred Zinnemann in 1977, is a cinematic journey that has spanned 47 years and dozens of ever-evolving roles. No one has portrayed complex women—mothers, mutable characters, impeccable, dark, realistic, theatrical, powerful, fragile, in love, and dreamers, even witches, all in search of truth—like she has. Think of the cook Julia Child in Julie & Julia, Katharine Graham in The Post, Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, and the off-key singer Florence Foster Jenkins. Each character she has portrayed has become a symbol of courage for many generations, entering the collective imagination. Growing up with the dream of becoming an opera singer, Streep later found her magic on the big screen, inspired by legendary actresses such as Anna Magnani, Giulietta Masina, and Silvana Mangano.
Meryl Streep is not just an actress; she is a storyteller who brings to light the many facets of the human experience. Her comment at Cannes reflects not only an artist's gratitude to her audience but also her awareness of the continuous commitment and dedication that her craft requires. Streep never settles for mediocrity; every role she takes on is an opportunity to explore new emotional and intellectual territories, demonstrating that her career is a celebration of the complexity and beauty of the human condition.
Parthenope by Paolo Sorrentino: both familiar and new vision
Paolo Sorrentino, acclaimed for his ability to create visually stunning and deeply emotional stories, returns to Naples with Parthenope, a film that explores the city and its myths with an intimate and personal gaze. Following The Hand of God, Sorrentino takes us back to his Naples, weaving memory and myth in a work that is both a public compendium and a deeply biographical journey.
Sorrentino describes Naples through the mythological figure of Parthenope, the siren transformed into a woman, representing the city itself with all its contradictions and beauties. The film is a journey through time and space, from Naples to Trento and back, reflecting the complexity and depth of the Neapolitan identity. <<She resembles me>>, says Sorrentino, referring to Naples or perhaps to the siren Parthenope herself, a symbol of eternal and tragic beauty, a city that has been the stage for many lives and stories, including that of the director.
He offers us a Naples that is both real and metaphorical, a place where the truth is unutterable but always present. His narrative unfolds through the character of Celeste Dalla Porta, who embodies Parthenope, a mysterious figure that, through grief and beauty, guides us on a journey that is both personal and universal.Sorrentino, with his visual and narrative mastery, shows us how cinema can be a means to explore the depths of the human soul and the cities we inhabit. The film, with its poetic and reflective sequences, reminds us that beauty and pain are often inseparabl.
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Parthenope is not just a film about Naples, but a work that reflects Sorrentino's ongoing dialogue with himself and the city that shaped him. Like Meryl Streep, who continues to surprise and move audiences with her acting, Sorrentino offers us a vision that is both familiar and new, capable of striking straight at the heart of the viewer.
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