L'Avventura
Movie, 1960, Named by critics, Set in First in the trilogy
L'Avventura is #1 of 48 in release order and #25 of 48 in chronological order in the Spiritual Trilogies.
The story
Claudia and Anna join Anna's lover, Sandro, on a boat trip to a remote volcanic island. When Anna goes missing, a search is launched. In the meantime, Sandro and Claudia become involved in a romance despite Anna's disappearance, though the relationship suffers from guilt and tension.
L'Avventura recap
Anna, her lover Sandro and her friend Claudia join a group of wealthy Romans on a yacht trip to the Aeolian Islands. On a bare rocky island Anna tells Sandro she is unhappy, he brushes her off, and soon after she cannot be found. The group, the police and Anna's father search the island without result. Sandro and Claudia carry on looking for her across Sicily, following a rumour planted in a newspaper and a chemist's story that Anna passed through on her way to Noto. Along the way Sandro kisses Claudia, follows her onto a train, and the two become lovers while Claudia feels guilty about her missing friend. Sandro proposes and she turns him down. They end up at a hotel in Taormina where Sandro's employer is throwing a party. Monica Vitti stars in all three films of Antonioni's Alienation Trilogy, each about couples who cannot reach each other in postwar Italy.
L'Avventura ending explained
Anna is never found and the film never says what happened to her. At the Taormina hotel Claudia admits she is afraid Anna will come back and take Sandro, and is relieved to think she might be dead. In the early morning she finds Sandro on a couch with Gloria Perkins, a young woman who sells herself to rich men. Claudia runs out to a terrace. Sandro follows, sits on a bench and cries. After a long pause Claudia puts her hand on his head and strokes his hair as they look out toward Mount Etna.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch L'Avventura
L'Avventura is streaming on Darkroom and HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 7.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Where it fits
Cast
- Monica Vitti as Claudia
- Gabriele Ferzetti as Sandro
- Lea Massari as Anna
- Dominique Blanchar as Giulia
- Renzo Ricci as Anna's Father
- James Addams as Corrado
- Dorothy De Poliolo as Gloria Perkins
- Lelio Luttazzi as Raimondo
- Giovanni Petrucci as Prince Godfrey
- Esmeralda Ruspoli as Patrizia
- Enrico Bologna
- Franco Cimino
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni.