What Is Your Interpretation of L'Avventura (1960, Antonioni)?

L’avventura (1960, Antonioni) is an enjoyable film to analyze because it contains well orchestrated ambiguities at many critical points in the story. The film is a captivating exploration of the moral decay of its affluent characters. I am curious: how do you amazing film buffs interpret this film?

To start off the conversation, I will highlight key instances of ambiguity. I will also share thoughts on these examples. Note: spoilers are below.

At the beginning of the film, Anna’s father complains about the growing distance between himself and his daughter. He harbors ill will towards her boyfriend Sandro. While Anna defends her relationship to Sandro, this conversation appears to shake her. I believe it partially informs her later behavior towards Sandro. Interestingly, Anna’s behavior towards Sandro appears contradictory on the surface. She wants to make love to him upon seeing him, but later complains of their strained relationship. She states to her father that she has declined his marriage proposal. Nonetheless, she wants Sandro to show stronger commitment to her. To her credit, perhaps she declines his marriage proposal precisely because she senses his commitment to her is not reliable. Sandro routinely goes off on business trips, and this behavior creates friction between the two of them. I wonder if Sandro’s business trips include affairs with other women, and if Anna senses this. If so, his conduct in these business trips foreshadows his behavior later in the story.

On the boating trip, Anna’s behavior is odd. As Anna and her friends prepare to stop at an island, she jumps off the boat and swims by herself. Sandro then anxiously pursues her. Subsequently, as the group of friends is swimming, Anna cries out that she has seen a shark. She later admits this is a fabrication. Perhaps, she needs the attention. Maybe she causes an alarm as a way to scare Sandro. Perhaps, she is emotionally unstable. Later, she scolds Sandro for his long business trips. Her frustration with Sandro may inform many of her decisions up to this point. Anna is not confident in Sandro's ability to listen to her and instead provokes Sandro so that he responds to her needs. Sandro’s weak commitment to their relationship indicates that he is incapable of engaging in a loving, bilateral relationship where each person’s needs are met.

One of the significant mysteries of L’avventura is the disappearance of Anna. What happens to her? She may have accidentally fallen, committed suicide, been kidnapped, or abandoned her friends on purpose. The film offers no clear resolution. The latter two options seem improbable. Still, much of the rest of the film is concerned with the search by Claudia and Sandro to find her in other locations. The two trek through Sicily inquiring about her. Their friends seem less concerned about Anna. In one promising lead from a journalist, Sandro tracks down a pharmacist who may have seen a woman fitting her description. Interestingly, the pharmacist and his wife are relatively newly married, but have a dysfunctional relationship. This detail seems important. I wonder if the audience is invited to draw a broader conclusion about problems posed by romantic relationships in the modern era. Perhaps, in an era where traditions are fading, a new set of ethics remains still to be established.

Sandro makes multiple advances towards Claudia along the trip. Eventually, Claudia gives in to his advances and the two commence a romantic relationship. However, there are numerous indications that each character is using the relationship to fill a void in themselves. At one point, Sandro confides in her that is disappointed in his career and feels cynical about his future. Confirming this bitter attitude, he intentionally dumps an artist’s ink across his paper, angering the artist. I wonder if Sandro’s disappointment in his career causes him to seek satisfaction through his libido. For her part, maybe Claudia clings to Sandro because of the loss she feels for Anna. Sandro’s behavior is increasingly aggressive as the story progresses. He asks Claudia to marry him after their short time together; Claudia then refuses him. Later, Sandro forces himself on Claudia, despite her repeated declarations that she wants him to stop. Eventually, he does stop, but the interaction carries on too long. This is a case where Sandro’s loutish behavior indicates some serious disconnect with reality. It seems that Sandro’s ego blinds him to reality and that he has a narcissistic personality disorder. He only sees others as objects for his personal gain. Sandro’s final act of betrayal of Claudia confirms this. I believe the film shows that wealth and privilege can cause one to stop valuing people and only see them as commodities.

Of course, there are many more scenes to discuss; I have only picked some notable scenes. I am very interested in your interpretations of this film.

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Edit: I later realized that I made a mistake in capitalizing the A in the title; it should read L'avventura not L'Avventura.