L’Avventura (35mm)

(Michaelangelo Antonioni, Italy/France 1960, 144 min., 35mm, Italian with English subtitles)

Largely considered Antonioni’s breakthrough masterpiece, L’Avventura marked the director’s transition into his trademark deliberate pacing and careful composition. Based on a story written by Antonioni, the film chronicles the search for a woman whose disappearance leads to an illicit romance between her lover and her best friend. Indicative of a common thread throughout Antonioni’s work, the film offers a challenging indictment of Italy’s indolent upper class. By forgoing narrative to focus on character development and atmosphere, L’Avventura helped to redefine film grammar for a new generation.