An Endless Sunday

Directed by Alain Parroni, An Endless Sunday follows three friends (Enrico Bassetti’s Alex, Federica Valentini’s Brenda, and Zackari Delmas’ Kevin) as they engage in a whole host of aimless activities on a lazy summer day. First-time filmmaker Parroni, armed with his and Giulio Pennacchi and Beatrice Puccilli’s screenplay, delivers a meandering and mostly uninvolving drama that grows less and less interesting as time progresses, which is a shame, ultimately, given that the picture does boast solid lead performances and an impressively stylish opening stretch. There’s little doubt, then, that An Endless Sunday‘s failure is cemented by an aimless midsection that contains little worth wholeheartedly embracing or getting excited about (ie it’s difficult to muster up much enthusiasm for the characters’ ride aboard a train, for example), and it’s clear, certainly, that the picture admittedly does begin to feel a little endless long before it reaches its comparatively enthralling third act – with the inclusion of a few late-in-the-game (and much-needed) instances of conflict elevating one’s dwindling attention considerably. By the time the almost surreal and thoroughly ineffective conclusion rolls around, however, An Endless Sunday has confirmed its place as an ambitious yet mostly misguided piece of work that feels much, much longer than its 115 minutes.

** out of ****