Being alone in a new city can be terrifying all on its own, but add in losing your memory to the mix and you’re in for a really bad time. This horrible combination is exactly what happens to the protagonist in director Adam Leon’s (Gimme the Loot, Tramps) upcoming feature, Italian Studies. The film will be landing in theaters and on-demand through on January 14, 2022, and the official trailer has been released to accompany the release date announcement.
The mind-bending film will star Academy Award-nominated actress Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) as Alina Reynolds, an English writer that is visiting New York City. While on her journey in the Big Apple, Alina mysteriously loses her memory and becomes lost and confused while wandering the maze of Manhattan. The accomplished writer has no idea where she is, or even who she is as she walks aimlessly in a search to put her puzzle pieces back together.
She quickly gets lost in her own mind as she attempts to determine which memories are false and which are real, weaving in between the reality of her life and of her stories, all the while the goings-on of one of the world’s largest cities create a wall of noise around her. Somewhere during her directionless movement, she crosses paths with a charming teenager named Simon (Simon Brickner). When he sees that Alina is lost without a memory of who or where she is, Simon takes the writer under his wing to help her navigate the lonely streets of Manhattan. Along their journey, Simon introduces her to his clan of eclectic friends that join Simon in showing the lost woman the sights and sounds of neighborhoods, streets, and the tall buildings of Manhattan.
The trailer shows us a vibrant film bursting with color as Kirby’s Alina meanders meaninglessly through streets and subways with strangers approaching her that seem to know who she is, even if just through her writing. Along with the eye-popping colors of the film, the music is another stand-out feature. With a score by award-winning composer Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight), the accompanying sounds of Alina’s search for who she is packs a double punch tied in with Leon’s screenplay. Starring alongside Kirby and Brickner are also David Ajala and Annika Wahlsten.
Walk along the lonely, but colorful and musical streets of Manhattan as Alina searches for her answers when Italian Studies hits theaters and lands on demand on January 14, 2022. Check out the official trailer for Italian Studies below.