La Chimera

“As with her other works, La Chimera is a gift of a film, a philosophically stimulating piece of cinema that has the rare capacity to genuinely transform the way we look at the world.”~Farah Cheded, The Playlist

Aroview: Another delight from dir. Alice Rohrwacher that completes a trilogy (after The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro) about Italy's relationship with its past.

It's set in a 1980s Tuscan village where the pillaging of ancient tombs can be turned into cash, though it's a ruse that depends on the gifts of a mysterious, bereaved Englishman (Josh O'Connor, The Crown) who's just out of prison. It's a film in love with the romantic history of Italy and its cinema of yesteryear, itself shot in 35mm, with nods to Fellini and Roberto Rossellini to make them smile in their graves, and even the latter's daughter Isabella, now in her seventies, among the film's collection of treasures.

NZ International Film Festival 2023