L'Avventura Movie Review

L'Avventura (1960)

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Written by: Michelangelo Antonioni (story), Michelangelo Antonioni and Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra (screenplay)
Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti, Lea Massari 
Rated: --
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Plot
A woman is lost at sea, and her lover and best friend start a romance while searching for her.

Verdict
Visually it's a masterpiece. From the landscapes to architecture, pause this movie anywhere and it will look amazing. This isn't a mystery, the woman lost at sea is a secondary plot. The characters are isolated and apathetic. They have everything, but feel nothing.
It's an unconventional love story that's a commentary on the subject at large rather than depicting a budding romance.
It's one of those movies that I would probably rank as a 'Watch it.' upon a second viewing.
It depends.

Review
Despite the beautiful people and places, the characters feel isolated and seek attention. When Anna disappears, everyone assumes it's another ploy for recognition. All of the characters would sacrifice a real connection for fleeting entertainment.

L'Avventura - Visually stunning.

When Anna disappears, only the two people closest to her seem to care. They end up falling for each other. They are two islands that slowly come together, but is it a real attraction, temptation, or a passing fling to fill the time?
The disappearance doesn't happen until well in to thirty minutes in. It's a slow movie that you could call measured or deliberately paced, but that doesn't make it seem any quicker. To shorten the movie would rob it of the mood it strives to impress upon the viewer. It is a deliberate choice to have the backgrounds matter as much as the characters.

It takes full advantage of the visual medium in a way that few movies do. The composition is striking in every shot.
Love is an illusion. None of the paired characters on the boat seem happy to be together. The loss of someone Sandro and Claudia care about brings them together, but it's just superficial. Sandro easily falls for, or acts upon his desire for someone else just because she's beautiful.