La quimera

Poetry is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe that movie. Alice Rorhwacher depicts a world where past and present are interwoven. A forgotten rural Italy, haunted by the remnants of Antiquity. The movie is full of symbols, and the boundaries between past and present, life and death, reality and fantasy are constantly blurred.

The main character, Arthur, is marked by grief, and hides his pain among a band of gentle thieves. All around him, there is misery but also resilience, joy, survival. In this picaresque landscape, Arthur seems to be the only character inhabited by tragedy.

Rorhwacher has the power to evoke emotions that are hard to describe. I left the theater in a contemplative state and I've been thinking about the movie a lot since then. Only good movies can do that.

An intriguing title, clearly "chimera" in the sense of a delusion or fantasy, and maybe specifically the illusion that anything at all can have permanence. Obviously we see that in the tombs of the people who lived thousands of years ago which are now being raided by this motley crew, but we also see it in the main character's relationship with his girlfriend, her mother's crumbling mansion, and the abandoned train station in town. Everything has its day, then fades away.

I have a dim view of those who pillage archaeological sites for personal gain, and probably because of that struggled initially to appreciate this film, but Rohrwacher's gentle, digressive style slowly worked its charms on me. I had been wondering if there would be any limit to what these tomb raiders might do since early on the Etruscan objects they find are relatively "minor," and the moment they discover a breathtaking shrine, creating a moral crisis for the leader, was brilliant. I shuddered when the head of a sculpture was broken off for easier transport. We then find that they're just smaller operators in a chain of corruption that extends from the wealthy to museum curators, calling to mind real-life scandals. The monetization of priceless artifacts feels like an affront in every possible way, and the main character looking down at the goddess's head felt like he was staring into his own soul.

However that's not the final moment of truth, and he comes to another fork in the road of his life, the choice between a new relationship with a woman who is ironically renovating a living space out of ruins, or to continue using his gift for divination to pillage ancient sites despite his growing guilt. Spiritually it's a life or death choice, and we find that literally that's true too. There's something stirring about our all-too-human weakness in the face of the past which looks silently back at us, a reminder that all of our greed and maneuvering is meaningless, one we don't heed.

I'm a sucker for most things italian, especially it's cinema, I loved La Chimera. The story of Arthur, an Englishman inhabiting an Italian's universe, whose remarkable abilities have led him to a life with a group of tomb robbers going after Etruscan antiquities for sale on the black market. Beguiled by love, Arthur is tormented by the memory of his lost Beniamina, whose mother (Isabella Rossellini) serves as a matriarchal groundpost. His lone, sad male presence in an otherwise all female family, is delightfully contentious and catty. Italia, the 'student maid', plays the fool to survive and succeed against odds.

Like a troupe of players, the tomb hunters seem like a vagabond theatre troupe, reminiscent of the circus in La Strada, one of Fellini's greats.

Adventurously cutting between film stocks and formats, the direction and camera work are exceptional and fitting.

A wonderful tale of surprise and intrigue driven by a cast of characters that only Italian's could present. Lovely in it's life and vibrancy.

I did enjoy this movie. Josh O'Connor and all of the cast deliver stellar performances. I settled down to watch a slow burn and indeed it is just that, but maybe a little to slow. I found myself hoping something more would happen. Every actor in this movie is wonderful, but towards the last half hour I just wanted it to wrap up. When it finally did wrap up, it was a bit of a damp squib. It was obviously coming and was no surprise. Most of the dialogue is Italian but subtitles don't worry me. Everything about this movie is great and I would not point fingers at the script writers or the actual dialogue. I just had issues with the strength of the actual story line. I think it may become a lost gem. It does not have mass appeal, but that is a trademark of Josh O'Connor; he just does the stuff that he wants and what challenges him. I cannot think of anything I have seen him in that was not brilliant, and this movie is up there, but only for a limited and mainly Italian audience. However, happy it was made. It is original, beautifully cast, thoughtful sets and wardrobe. Thanks.

"La Chimera" is a bittersweet addition to the magical-Italian-realism cinematic universe of director Alice Rohrwacher. Her new parable about Italy that's also a folklore fairytale tells the story of clairvoyant/haunted archeologist/graverobber Arthur, played by Josh O'Connor. Arthur's journey to retrieve the film's buried namesake is not one for glory and it's barely for riches; O'Connor commits both emotionally and physically to a naturalistic portrait of a lost man searching for something that is beyond the tangible. This heavy-hearted quest is balanced thanks to moments orchestrated by Arthur's local gang of merry graverobbers, played by former collaborators from Rohrwacher films. Another great performance is by Isabella Rosellni, playing a women that is connected to Arthur through personal history and in her attachment to living in the past. The film is far less narrative-driven, instead choosing to follow Arthur from one moment to another, a nod to the wandering man of other Italian greats, Pasolini and Felini. The ending, similarly, leaves viewers with the choice of deciding whether Arthur was victorious in fulfilling his wish or not.