Why a film about a woman who vanishes became a masterpiece of modern cinema
In short: Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1960 drama L'Avventura famously begins with a disappearance, but the mystery is never solved. Instead, the film abandons traditional narrative to explore the emotional decay of its wealthy, bored characters. It was booed at Cannes, yet it remains one of the most influential films ever made.
When L'Avventura premiered at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, the reception was notoriously hostile. Critics laughed and booed throughout the screening, finding the film’s deliberate pacing and lack of plot resolution baffling. Director Michelangelo Antonioni and star Monica Vitti were so distressed they fled the theater. Yet, by the end of the festival, a group of prominent filmmakers and writers had signed a petition declaring it the best film shown, and it ultimately secured the Jury Prize.
The film follows the aftermath of Anna’s disappearance during a yacht trip to the Aeolian Islands. Rather than focusing on the search, the story shifts to her lover, Sandro, and her friend, Claudia, who begin an affair while supposedly looking for her. Antonioni used this structure to critique the moral values and outmoded conventions of his time, suggesting that his characters are 'on the brink of disappearance' due to their own emotional emptiness and lack of fulfilling relationships.
The production was as chaotic as the film's reception. Filming in 1959 was plagued by bankruptcy, extreme weather, and a lack of basic supplies, forcing the cast and crew to survive on a remote island infested with rats and reptiles. At one point, the production company folded, and the crew worked for free until new financing was secured. Despite these hardships, Antonioni systematically subverted cinematic norms, prioritizing visual composition and mood over the traditional narrative development that audiences expected at the time.
Today, L'Avventura is recognized as a foundational work of arthouse cinema, influencing directors like Jia Zhangke and Hirokazu Kore-eda. It serves as the first part of a trilogy—followed by La Notte and L'Eclisse—that examines what critics described as the 'malady of the emotional life' in the modern era. Its legacy is cemented by its repeated appearances on Sight & Sound’s list of the greatest films ever made.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: L'Avventura
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