A woman with no memory of who she is drifts through New York City in "Italian Studies," a 2022 drama that trades plot momentum for mood and voice.
What is Italian Studies about?
The film follows a writer who has lost track of her own identity, wandering the city and falling into conversation with a loose group of teenagers she meets along the way. Some of these exchanges feel grounded and specific; others slip into something closer to memory or imagination, and the film never rushes to sort out which is which. Rather than building toward a conventional resolution, it stays inside her disorientation, using fragmented scenes and overlapping voices to put the audience in the same uncertain headspace she occupies. At just over eighty minutes, it plays more like an extended mood piece than a plotted feature, asking viewers to sit with confusion rather than have it explained away.
About the cast
Vanessa Kirby anchors the film as the writer at its center, with Annabel Hoffman, Annika Wahlsten, Chris Arias, Fred Hechinger, Ray Lipstein, Maya Hawke, and David Ajala rounding out the ensemble of teenagers and city dwellers she encounters.
Context & significance
Directed by Adam Leon, "Italian Studies" belongs to the drama genre and leans on an impressionistic, dialogue-driven style rather than a traditional narrative spine. It was made in the United States, and its loose, conversational structure places it closer to a character study than a genre picture, built around wandering rather than plot mechanics.
Watching Italian Studies on Ktime
"Italian Studies" is available on K-Time with a Farsi dub and Persian subtitles, letting Persian-speaking viewers follow its fragmented, dialogue-heavy style in their own language. Watching only requires logging into a free K-Time account, on a platform built around a Farsi-first experience for Iranian audiences abroad, with no separate purchase or app-switching needed.