| Errors | Missing | Unverified | Supported |
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| 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
The plot of Michelangelo Antonioni’s L'Avventura (1960) is set in motion through a series of specific character actions and interactions that establish a sense of emotional instability and aimlessness before the central mystery occurs.
The following actions serve as the catalysts for the story:
The film opens with a tracking shot of Anna (Lea Massari) walking through a construction site toward her father, a retired diplomat. Their brief conversation reveals the first crack in the narrative: her father expresses disapproval of her relationship with Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti), noting that Sandro will never marry her. Anna’s defensive yet weary reaction establishes her character as restless and dissatisfied, setting the stage for her later erratic behavior.
Anna meets her friend Claudia (Monica Vitti) to go meet Sandro at his apartment in Rome. Before they leave for their trip, Anna goes inside to see Sandro while Claudia waits outside in the street. In a deliberate move to assert power or perhaps to mask her unhappiness, Anna has sex with Sandro while Claudia is left pacing outside, visible through the windows. This creates a triad of tension and introduces the "replacement" dynamic that becomes the film's core theme after Anna vanishes.
The group of wealthy, bored socialites departs on a yacht for a cruise around the Aeolian Islands. They stop at Lisca Bianca, a barren, volcanic rock. The physical action of the group disembarking and spreading out across the desolate landscape is a crucial visual "start" to the plot, as it isolates the characters from the safety of their urban lives.
Shortly after arriving on the island, Anna suddenly cries out that she has seen a shark in the water. The group panics, but it is quickly revealed (to the audience and later hinted to the characters) that Anna lied about the shark. This action is a "test" of Sandro’s affection and a clear signal of her desperate need for attention or an escape from her current reality. It serves as a narrative "dry run" for her actual disappearance.
The primary inciting incident occurs when the group decides to leave the island. As they gather to return to the boat, they realize Anna is missing. They search the rocky terrain and call her name, but she has vanished without a trace. This action—or rather, the sudden absence of a character—shifts the plot from a study of a failing romance into a subverted mystery, as the search for Anna eventually transforms into a new "adventure" (a romantic fling) between Sandro and Claudia.
The summary omits that Sandro is an architect (or works in development), which thematically links to the opening scene's focus on construction and the father's disapproval.
The summary says the lie is 'hinted' to characters, missing the specific beat where Anna confesses directly to Claudia, which establishes their intimacy before the disappearance.
The plot of L'Avventura is set in motion by Anna's dissatisfaction with her relationship and her subsequent disappearance. Key actions include: 1) Anna's conversation with her father (a retired diplomat) who disapproves of her lover Sandro; 2) A sexual encounter between Anna and Sandro in his Rome apartment while their friend Claudia waits outside (Sandro closes the curtains to block the view); 3) A yacht trip to the Aeolian Islands where Anna fakes a shark sighting to test Sandro's devotion (later confessing the lie to Claudia); and 4) Anna's unexplained disappearance from the island of Lisca Bianca, which shifts the film's focus to the search and the developing relationship between Sandro and Claudia.