Under the Amalfi Sun (Sotto il sole di Amalfi) is a sequel to the 2020 movie Under the Riccione Sun and is directed by Martina Pastori and stars Lorenzo Zurzolo, Ludovica Martino, Isabella Ferrari, and Luca Ward, alongside other cast members. The movie has a runtime of 90 minutes.
Netflix describes the movie as:
A year after their romance began in Riccione, Vincenzo and Camilla reunite for a vacation on the picturesque Amalfi Coast and put their love to the test.
– Under the Amalfi Sun Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
I wonder why Under the Riccione Sun needed a sequel, but apparently, it did, so here we all are now. Now, listen, the 2020 movie was a fun, no-nonsense watch that was predictable and cheesy and great for a one-time watch. Filled with summer friendships, love and great locations, the movie did was it was supposed to and delivered a simple 102 minutes.
But never did I think that we’d get a sequel of the original movie for some reason.
In Under the Amalfi Sun, Vincenzo invites his girlfriend Camilla and her friend to spend the summer with him and Furio. Amalfi is gorgeous, and honestly, the movie excels with its showcasing of the alleys, blue seas and beautiful locales of the Italian town.
The movie takes place a year after the last movie, and Camilla and Vincenzo have been apart for a year at this point. The summer brings new hopes and new relationships to the surface while juggling old ones and seeing their trajectory.
Speaking about old relationships, Vincenzo and Camilla’s relationship is tested now that they have more experience and are more mature than before. Will their relationship stand the test of time? Will they get over their individual issues and come out of this together stronger than ever?
After watching the entirety of Under the Amalfi Sun, I am still left a bit confused about the necessity of the movie and watching these young adults spend another summer together. Let’s be honest, it’s not like this was a revolutionary movie the first time around, so following them around a second time seems excessive.
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The newest trip to a picturesque beach feels excessive and fraught with uninteresting moments – it doesn’t have the charm of the first movie and tries to bring in more depth while keeping things PG. The movie feels uninteresting and stale and doesn’t have the carefree and fun vibe of the former, but the film hasn’t really created the characters deep enough for us to sit through watching them wonder about the next phase of their lives.
Moreover, Irene and Lucio’s relationship is now also going through issues of its own as jealousy creeps in, and Irene acts pretty nonchalantly about it as if she doesn’t get his very obvious dislike of his partner hanging out with her ex.
I think the problem I have with the movie is that every character acts very aloof about their partners and their problems and only wants to have a good time without realising that things have changed in the last year. The supporting characters, including Furio and Nat, have their own problems to get over but feel like extra baggage added forcefully.
Still, I liked watching Nat and Furio’s story; at least they seemed somewhat interesting and genuine.
Summing Up: Under the Amalfi Sun
Under the Amalfi Sun is an unnecessary addition to a rather simple first movie that could’ve just ended with that one iteration. The movie deals with more ‘mature’ themes than the last one if you can call it that, but we didn’t come to Amalfi to be stuck with adult problems. Give me the party that my overworked brain desperately needs!
Under the Amalfi Sun is streaming on Netflix.