L'Avventura () is a 1960 Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Developed from a story by Antonioni with co-writers Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra, the film is about the disappearance of a young woman (Lea Massari) during a boating trip in the Mediterranean, and the subsequent search for her by her lover (Gabriele Ferzetti) and her best friend (Monica Vitti). It was filmed on location in Rome, the Aeolian Islands, and Sicily in 1959 under difficult financial and physical conditions. The film is noted for its unusual pacing, which emphasizes visual composition, mood, and character over traditional narrative development.
L'Avventura was nominated for numerous awards and was awarded the Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. The film made Monica Vitti an international star. According to an Antonioni obituary, the film "systematically subverted the filmic codes, practices and structures in currency at its time". L'Avventura is the first film of a trilogy by Antonioni, followed by La Notte (1961) and L'Eclisse (1962). It has appeared on Sight & Sounds list of the critics' top ten greatest films ever made three times in a row: It was voted second in 1962, fifth in 1972 and seventh in 1982. In 2010, it was ranked #40 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema". The film would go on to influence several arthouse directors, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jia Zhangke, and Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Plot
Anna and her friend Claudia meet up at Anna's father's villa before embarking on a yachting trip along the Mediterranean. They head into Rome to meet Anna's boyfriend, Sandro, near Pons Fabricius. While Claudia waits downstairs, Anna and Sandro make love in his house. Sandro then drives the two women to the coast where they join two affluent couples for their voyage. The next day, the group reaches the Aeolian Islands, and Anna jumps into the water for a swim. Sandro follows her when she claims to have seen a shark, only to find out later that it was a lie.
During their trip, Anna confides in Sandro about her unhappiness with his frequent business trips, but he dismisses her concerns and takes a nap on the rocks. Later, Corrado becomes concerned about the weather and decides to leave the island. However, Anna goes missing, and Sandro brushes it off as typical behavior. They search the island but find nothing. Sandro, Corrado, and Claudia stay behind to continue the search, while the others notify the authorities. As they search, Sandro takes offense when Claudia suggests his neglect may have played a role in Anna's disappearance.
The police conduct a thorough search but find nothing, and Anna's father arrives. Sandro decides to investigate nearby smugglers, but before leaving, he kisses Claudia, startling her. She decides to search other islands alone, and they agree to meet up later in Palermo. Sandro realizes that the smugglers have no information about Anna's disappearance. When Claudia arrives, they meet at the train station, and their attraction is evident, but Claudia urges him to leave. She boards a train to Palermo, and as it departs, Sandro jumps aboard. Claudia is annoyed, but Sandro sees no sense in sacrificing their attraction. Claudia is troubled by how easily things can change. Sandro relents and gets off the train at Castroreale.
In Messina, Sandro meets with journalist Zuria, who suggests Anna may have been seen by a chemist in Troina. Sandro bribes Zuria for another story and heads to Troina. Meanwhile, Claudia arrives at Corrado's villa, where no one takes Anna's disappearance seriously. Claudia leaves for Troina after reading Zuria's follow-up story. In Troina, Sandro and Claudia track down a chemist who claims to have sold tranquilizers to Anna. They learn that the woman identified by the chemist left for Noto in southern Sicily. Together, they drive south, stopping at a deserted village before making love on a hill overlooking the town. In Noto, they search for Anna at the Trinacria Hotel, but find nothing. Claudia remains conflicted between her feelings for Sandro and her loyalty to Anna.