THE STORY – A group of French high-school students travel to Naples on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii and the bodies petrified by Vesuvius. There, they are drawn into a dizzying descent. One by one, they are swept up in desire and anger, until they surrender to them completely.
THE CAST – Colas Quignard, Suzanne Gerin, Mitia Capellier & Antonia Buresi
THE TEAM – Marine Atlan (Director/Writer) & Anne Brouillet (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 145 Minutes
Pompeii is the land of contradiction. With over 4 million tourists visiting the municipality each year, the southern Italian city is at once picturesque and harrowing. Every street corner is a reminder of the people who were pulverized by the mighty power of Vesuvius, a volcano considered by volcanologists to be among the most dangerous in the world. The irony of the popularity of Pompeii is indebted to the macabre interests of its tourist population, who return to the rubble in awe of the destruction of the cataclysmic eruption. The townspeople are less fond of idolizing their home, as they are constantly reminded of its history.
Utilizing the backdrop of Pompeii to excavate a metaphorical eruption, Marine Atlan’s pensive debut cleverly implements the contradictions of Pompeii in her sublimely executed drama “La Gradiva.” Casting nonprofessional actors in her impressive ensemble of fresh talent, Atlan’s unconventional coming-of-age tale centers around a group of French teenagers who travel with their Latin professor to Naples in search of the remnants of Pompeii. The educational entourage traverses through the haunted city, walking and aimlessly touring the sites of natural destruction. Simultaneously, “La Gradiva” covers the existential dread of the young students, as they await their results from the Parcoursup – an exam that will dictate their post-secondary future after graduation. Atlan succeeds in her universal portrait of coming-of-age, as the reminder of imminent death looms over the subconscious of the susceptible teens. The banter shared between the young cast feels authentic to their experience, respecting their intelligence and interiority by capturing their indecisiveness and reckless conversations throughout the trip.
Through scenes of extended class lectures that tour the city’s galleries and institutions, Atlan ponders the apocalyptic recollection of Pompeii’s history. In these academic sequences, she enforces the inherent contradictions of her pivotal location. Through the erratic disturbances of the troublesome protagonist, Toni, as portrayed by newcomer Colas Quignard, “La Gradiva” interrupts these seemingly expository sequences with his character’s chaotic retaliation against his teacher’s demands. Toni is the black sheep of the group, a flirtatious and anarchic teen who is unusually sheltered in his solitude. In the pandemonium of the film’s thoroughly engaging lecture sequences, Atlan captures the unfolding tension between a mischievous student and an exhausted instructor. Directing her sequences with long takes that allow the actor’s naturalism to punctuate the dramatic escalation, Atlan’s direction within these scenes of student-teacher conflict hits all of the right beats.
Atlan prioritizes atmosphere over narrative propulsion, as her lackadaisical methodology accompanies her characters as they traverse the physical and allegorical history of their past and present. “La Gradiva” captures the sunny and lively tourist traps of Pompeii and Naples through her preference for celluloid cinematography. The film’s natural pastiche feels timeless and colorful. Akin to the spirit of its municipality’s history, the vibrant aesthetic is also a contradiction. As Toni’s mental state radically shifts upon the shattering discovery of his true family lineage, “La Gradiva” begins to intimately reorient the character’s self-loathing and closeted sexuality with an authentic portrayal of teen angst. Quignard conveys Toni’s malaise through his pouty expressions and icy glares, highlighting his different personalities and dissociations, which alternate according to social circumstance.
Regrettably, when “La Gradiva” reaches its inevitable tragic outcome, as mirrored by the devastation of its primary location, Atlan’s text wanes with the lack of cultural context. Attempting to deconstruct the protagonist’s ancestry, the film doesn’t engage sufficiently with the ramifications of his family’s mythology and the nationalist superiority complex that accompanies the daunting self-realization. Further introspection on Toni’s desire to assimilate into Italian society would have turned its tragic climax into something more moving, rather than resorting to the half-baked conclusions currently on display. While the supporting performers are undeniably interesting in their own right, a more streamlined approach would have made “La Gradiva” a more emotionally powerful experience.
“La Gradiva” successfully captures an unforgettable, life-altering field trip in 145 minutes. Despite alternating between different classmates’ perceptions ad nauseam, diluting the emotional tangibility of Toni’s tragedy, Atlan succeeds through her pensive reimagining of the Pompeii landscape. As a result of her mature filmmaking, “La Gradiva” offers a deeply honest subversion of the coming-of-age sub-genre. The film pensively roams through Pompeii, following her protagonist’s interactions with the land’s ethnography and anthropology. Atlan’s impressive debut will transport audiences to the cataclysmic ruins, as the tragedy of Vesuvius directly intersects with the narrative’s reimagining of a fateful field trip.
