The Frame

A group of friends takes a boating excursion out to a bunch of islands off the Italian coast; while sunbathing on the shore, Anna disappears. This isn’t completely unusual, since she’s sort of a restless character, and her wandering off to be alone would be fairly normal. However, she can’t be found. Her boyfriend Sandro and her best friend Claudia lead the search for her, which starts by canvassing the island, then moving to nearby islands and finally to the mainland. Meanwhile, everyone else gives up the search and Sandro and Claudia become attracted to each other. Don’t expect to find out what happened to Anna; the film never reveals whether she ran away, committed suicide, accidentally drowned, was kidnapped, or whatever. Rather, the film is about isolation, sophistication, and whether connecting with another human being is possible. L’Avventura is Michelangelo Antonioni’s best-known work, the one that thrust him onto the European filmmaking stage in 1960. It’s somewhat cold and distancing, but that’s intentional and effective. I’m looking forward to more Antonioni.
Masterpiece