L’immensita

L’immensita is a vibrant coming-of-age story that navigates the often-treacherous path to adulthood. Rome, 1970s: a world which straddles new neighborhoods being created, TV variety shows still in black & white, societal advances and family models that now seem outdated. Clara (Penélope Cruz) and Felice (Vincenzo Amato) have just moved into a new apartment. Their marriage has reached a point of no return: they no longer love each other, but they can't seem to leave each other either. Their children are the only thing that keeps them together, the same children that are the syphon for all of Clara's dreams of freedom. Adriana, the eldest, has just turned twelve; Clara's mood swings and the growing tensions between her parents play out before her watchful gaze. Adriana is in a state of refusal of her name and her identity, and her dogged pursuit of trying to convince everyone that she is a boy brings the already fragile stability of her family to breaking point. As the children search around them for guidance -- be it a voice from above or a song on the TV -- everything changes, both inside and outside of themselves. [2022, Italy, 97 min, Rating: NR, in Italian with English subtitles] Karen Gordon of Original Sin writes, “Penelope Cruz is quietly powerful in a portrait of a family in turmoil.” Venue: Cinema Art Theater. Presenter: Rehoboth Beach Film Society.