''Italian Studies'' is a 2021 American drama film, written and directed by

Adam Leon Adam Leon is an American film director and writer working in New York City. His first feature film, ''Gimme the Loot (film), Gimme the Loot'', won the Grand Jury Prize at South by Southwest and premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival ( ...

. It stars Vanessa Kirby, David Ajala, Simon Brickner, Annika Wahlsten, Annabel Hoffman, and Maya Hawke. It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021. It was released on January 14, 2022, by Magnolia Pictures in theaters and VOD.

Plot

A writer loses her memory in New York City, and attempting to find her way home, she connects with a group of strangers in conversations, real and imagined.

Cast

* Vanessa Kirby as Alina Reynolds * Simon Brickner as Simon * Annika Wahlsten as Annika * Annabel Hoffman as Annabel * David Ajala as Ade * Maya Hawke as Erin *

Fred Hechinger Fred Hechinger (born ) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Trevor in the coming-of-age film ''Eighth Grade'', John Calley in the Western drama ''News of the World'', and Ethan Russell in the psychological thriller '' The Woman in ...

as Matt

Production

In March 2019, it was announced Vanessa Kirby had joined the cast of the film, with

directing from a screenplay he wrote.

Release

It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021. In October 2021, Magnolia Pictures acquired the distribution rights to the film. The film was released in theaters on January 14, 2022.

Reception

Box office

In the U.S. and Canada, the film earned $3,401 from seven theaters in its opening weekend and $579 in its second.

Critical response

''Italian Studies'' holds a 43% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with a weighted average of 5.60/10. In a positive review, '' Rolling Stone'' called the film, "Unforgettable from the jump," features a "raw, guileless, egoless performance" from Vanessa Kirby, and that it "may be the most immersive memory loss movie of all time." The '' Los Angeles Times'' wrote, "''Italian Studies'' is a unique curio of a film, a free sketch of time and place melting into a singular subjective experience that asks, “Does memory matter?” In a mixed review, '' Variety'' wrote that "Adam Leon’s minor-key, jaggedly structured indie isn’t concerned with the specific whens, hows and whys of Alina’s out-of-nowhere amnesia, but with the hazy in-the-moment sensation of being struck with it, the sensation of stumbling for the lightswitch in your own mind. That’s a nebulous-sounding dramatic proposition, though as performed by a nervy, live-wire Vanessa Kirby, it becomes a tensely compelling one."

References

External links

* * {{Adam Leon 2021 films 2021 drama films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films American drama films Films about amnesia Films about writers Films scored by Nicholas Britell Films set in London Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Topic Studios films