American indie director Adam Leon (“Gimme the Loot,” “Tramps”) makes street-wise, visceral films that feel of the moment, electric, alive, and often pounding the pavement in pursuit of some goal. His latest film, “Italian Studies,” starring Academy Award nominee Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces Of A Woman”), is of the same ilk but slightly different. Set on the streets of New York again, “Italian Studies” centers on an author who temporarily and inexplicably loses her memory. In a lyrical haze, she wanders around New York, bumping into the cast of hustlers and non-actors that Leon loves to use so much (in this case, newcomer Simon Brickner).
“Italian Studies” also features Annika Wahlsten, Annabel Hoffman, Maya Hawke and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this summer. In our review, we described it as “a striking mix of open-hearted storytelling and atmospheric filmmaking, with an overall confidence from Leon and Kirby that’s more pronounced than the script’s slippery nature” (we also spoke to Leon, and you can read that full interview here).
Here’s the official 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.
“Italian Studies” arrives in theaters and On-Demand, January 14, 2022, via Magnolia Pictures. Watch the new trailer below.