Italian Studies

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1:56

Italian Studies

2022

1h 21m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

19%

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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

Jan 26, 2022

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.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Jan 20, 2022

2/4

It's only 81 minutes long but feels like an eternity or two.

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

Jan 19, 2022

Its idea of time is multidimensional, as is its idea of form.

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Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

Oct 4, 2024

3.5/5

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.

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Bill Bria

Vague Visages

Jun 6, 2023

In essence, Italian Studies is a movie made up of bits and pieces that never quite coalesce, and perhaps that’s its entire point.

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Taylor Baker

Drink in the Movies

Nov 18, 2022

70/100

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

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Sal D.

@JustTheLaw Feb 4, 2026

I am an appreciator or art house cinema but I honestly cannot tell whether this film was a failed experiment or simply not well thought and directed collection of scenes, with no particular arc or purpose. Kirby does her part without question - but the rest of the movie falls way flat on its face.

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John A

@ExcessMale Mar 23, 2023

The director's vision makes for a fairly confusing picture however the cinematography is nice and there are some striking visual flourishes.

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Jan 30, 2022

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.

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Jan 15, 2022

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.

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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

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