Benedetta Porcaroli has found her dimension It is in the films of Carolina Cavalli, from "Amanda" to "Il rapimento di Arabella"
Benedetta Porcaroli has found her dimension, and it is the universe of Carolina Cavalli. For her second film, the Milanese director and screenwriter once again calls upon the actress, fresh from the Italian series Il Gattopardo. This time, however, the title of Cavalli’s film does not come from Porcaroli’s character, as it did with her debut Amanda. Arabella is in fact the name of the child whom protagonist Holly kidnaps, believing she is the reincarnation of her younger self. It is in the midst of this pseudo-mystical crisis that the two prologues of Il rapimento di Arabella intertwine, two paths destined to cross. And it is not necessary that they lead anywhere, but it is beautiful that they walked a part of life together.
Benedetta Porcaroli remains true to herself (at the Venice Film Festival 2025)
Just like in Amanda, both Cavalli and Porcaroli remain true to themselves. The director and screenwriter to her world made of personal flashes and references where everything is improbable and suspended, and although everything may seem unreal, in truth it is more tangible than one might think. The actress, on her part, stimulates her quirky and comic side, with a cynicism that is both sharp and at times tender. Cold even when she seeks love, the same goal pursued in both films by her director, though in different ways. In Amanda, the protagonist had no friends and forced Galatéa Belugi’s character to become one. In Il rapimento di Arabella, her Holly – an extension of her previous character – tries to heal the wound left by her mother’s disappearance, feels as if she is in touch with a tear in the fabric of space-time, and is convinced she has regained balance the moment the cosmos puts her in contact with a younger version of herself.
Carolina Cavalli is her natural companion
Cavalli and Porcaroli walk hand in hand through an Italian landscape that often risks lacking aesthetics or irony. This very balance between irony and aesthetics is what they managed to find, taking us into the fiery inner lives of their protagonists, somewhat reminiscent of Lady Bird. Unpleasant and sensitive, abrasive and intelligent, they are women who are aware of themselves, but that does not mean they can fit seamlessly into the world around them. For Cavalli, this is nothing new. Something similar also happened with Donya in Fremont, for which she was only the screenwriter alongside Babak Jalali, the film’s director. An immigrant who moves from Afghanistan to America and starts working at a fortune cookie factory, discovering that to find fortune, she had to play her part with destiny.
"Il rapimento di Arabella" is the spiritual sequel to "Amanda"
Although more melancholic than Amanda, and less compact in a second part where it tends to evaporate and drift away, Il rapimento di Arabella – premiering in the Orizzonti section at Venice82 – could be seen as a spiritual sequel to Cavalli’s debut and, we hope, the continuation of a career that can express itself each time with the same clear and recognizable style. Amusing and reflective, without needing to take itself too seriously. Perhaps managing to reconnect us with the most hidden, fragile and messy part of ourselves. Childlike, and not only.
