Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Italian Studies

Released Jan 14, 2022 1h 21m Drama TRAILER for List
42% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 22% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
From award-winning filmmaker Adam Leon, Italian Studies is a lyrical film about dislocation, connection, and the elusive nature of identity. While visiting New York City from her native London, writer Alina Reynolds (Academy Award®-nominee Vanessa Kirby) inexplicably loses her memory and suddenly becomes unmoored and adrift on the streets of Manhattan with no sense of time or place -- or even her own name. As Alina's consciousness swings between imagined conversations, fragments of her own short stories and the bustling city around her, she finds an anchor in charismatic teenager Simon (Simon Brickner). Drawn to the lost woman, Simon soon introduces Alina to his free-spirited group of friends, and together they make their way through a disorienting cityscape full of life, beauty, and music.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Italian Studies

Italian Studies

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Vanessa Kirby is always a magnetic screen presence, but Italian Studies is too disjointed and superficial to take advantage of her talents.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (53) Critics Reviews
Christy Lemire FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) I don't really know what they're aiming for here... There needs to be a point to why we're telling this particular story in this particular way. Jan 26, 2022 Full Review Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News It's only 81 minutes long but feels like an eternity or two. Rated: 2/4 Jan 20, 2022 Full Review Glenn Kenny New York Times Its idea of time is multidimensional, as is its idea of form. Jan 19, 2022 Full Review Joseph Tomastik Loud and Clear Reviews One of those films you need to feel before you begin to understand. That’s always a huge gamble ... But something this unique and distinguished, as well as refreshingly short, is at least worth one viewing. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 4, 2024 Full Review Bill Bria Vague Visages In essence, Italian Studies is a movie made up of bits and pieces that never quite coalesce, and perhaps that’s its entire point. Jun 6, 2023 Full Review Taylor Baker Drink in the Movies An impulsive saturnine film that follows Vanessa Kirby as she billows around New York City for an unclear amount of time in an amnesiac fugue state. The non-linear timeline of the film accentuates the Rated: 70/100 Nov 18, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
John A The director's vision makes for a fairly confusing picture however the cinematography is nice and there are some striking visual flourishes. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/23/23 Full Review ethan h This is why I love film. Indie movies that don't require guns, murders or language, just good acting with a solid vision. No one fly's nor does lasers come out of anyone's eyeballs but I'll take a good character drama over that any day of the year. This was one of my favorite of '21. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I can honestly say this was the worst movie I have seen in the past decade. I kept hanging in hoping it would get better and it just never did. If I could have recovered the lost minutes of my life I spent on it I would. It just never came together. The actors themselves were not what made it so bad it was the story and the sad part is they could have done so much more with it. Don't waste your life on this one, take a nap instead. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Italian Studies is the perfect example of a holy mess of pretentious art-house fair that is all imagery and no filler. Vanessa Kirby is simply wasted here, in something that so unfocused its own title will still raise questions after viewing it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Italian Studies is a strange experience that doesn’t work as well as it should. Vanessa Kirby was great as always. I also really liked all of the teenagers. Another highlight was the score. It really enhanced the mood and the tone of the film. There really isn’t much of a story. The film just meanders on throughout its very short runtime. I just kept waiting for the film to have a reason to exist, and I don’t think it does. There’s some nice atmosphere but it doesn’t add to much. Overall, this was pretty mediocre. I wish the film was more focused, because it had the atmosphere and lead performance to be great. Sadly, the film doesn’t succeed. I will continue being excited for whatever Vanessa Kirby does next. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Italian Studies

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Petrol 100% % Petrol TRAILER for Petrol Passing 90% 86% Passing TRAILER for Passing Wood and Water 100% % Wood and Water TRAILER for Wood and Water Clara Sola 92% 80% Clara Sola TRAILER for Clara Sola Juniper 93% 79% Juniper TRAILER for Juniper Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis From award-winning filmmaker Adam Leon, Italian Studies is a lyrical film about dislocation, connection, and the elusive nature of identity. While visiting New York City from her native London, writer Alina Reynolds (Academy Award®-nominee Vanessa Kirby) inexplicably loses her memory and suddenly becomes unmoored and adrift on the streets of Manhattan with no sense of time or place -- or even her own name. As Alina's consciousness swings between imagined conversations, fragments of her own short stories and the bustling city around her, she finds an anchor in charismatic teenager Simon (Simon Brickner). Drawn to the lost woman, Simon soon introduces Alina to his free-spirited group of friends, and together they make their way through a disorienting cityscape full of life, beauty, and music.
Director
Adam Leon
Producer
Joshua Astrachan, Brad Becker-Parton, Jason Reif, Andrea Roa, Jamund Washington
Screenwriter
Adam Leon
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Animal Kingdom, Topic Studios, Tango Entertainment
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 14, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 14, 2022
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.5K
Runtime
1h 21m
Most Popular at Home Now