We sometimes grow up from our fancies. From one view, Villa Amalia suggests a type of modern existence to be one big fancy, the one full of short term thrills put on repeat for a lifetime: fake relationships and meaningless careers that bring the money and the pain but no spiritual gain.

From another, it’s the ultimate No to rote normalcy in favor of the Yea to the unknown, and all the fear that gives you a chance to seize its munificent possibility. If you approach it with an open mind, you will look back on this quaint but painfully precise film that’s part plastic beauty, part existential release (therefore a higher, melancholy beauty), and wonder when and where you will find your own Villa Amalia.