"La Chimera is a glorious exploration of love, soul and art."
La Chimera is a glorious exploration of love, soul and art, and director Alice Rohrwacher is certainly a cinematic wizard.
Under the gorgeous backdrop of 1980s Tuscany, La Chimera follows scruffy Englishman Arthur, sensitively played by Josh O’Connor, fresh out of Italian prison, as he returns to his home and, unwillingly, to the people of his past.
With a talent for archaeology of a slight fantastical nature, Arthur reluctantly rejoins his group of gravedigger accomplices and before long finds himself falling back into his pre-imprisonment life. Haunted by more than the ghosts of the tombs, Arthur seeks respite with Flora, a parental figure masterfully played by Isabella Rossellini who demonstrates her ability to bring comedy and despair in a single beat, reinforcing the film’s ability to weave eccentric humour into its dramatic, wistful tone. Crucially, Flora is housing aspiring singer Italia (Carol Duarte), treating her as a servant whilst nurturing her “tone deaf” talent. Although initially awkward, the meet cute with Arthur that involves beating up a chair, paralleled beautifully by her fixing a chair in a later scene, establishes a unique relationship between the two. O’Connor’s hard won smile instantly portrays a humorous curiosity, standing out from the rest of the ensemble who ignore or disparage Italia’s willing nature.
The pacing of this film is notably well executed. Montage sequences arrive just when you need them to, offering a whirlwind of movement and quick storytelling to allow time for those important scenes of drama to have their stillness.
Painting Italy as a home of ancient wonder, through the lingering of shots of the Italian countryside juxtaposed with the heightened ambient sound implying a hidden world beneath what we see, Rochrwacher also tackles themes of belonging and soul. She reflects this through the Arthur’s personal journey and growing relationship with Italia. Duarte shines on screen, offering a refreshing, comforting presence to counter Arthur’s melancholic persona. A standout example being him watching her dance; the heartwarming grin he tries so hard to supress produced an audible gush from the couple next to me and will be warmly stamped on my memory for a long time.
La Chimera is also a treat for the cinematography fan. Helene Louvart shows immense creative skill. The art influence, reminiscent of Carol Morely’s Typist Artist Pirate King (2023), is demonstrated with innovative camera work, the use of tilt shots to the fully reverse the vertical plane immersed viewers into Arthur’s psyche, playing these tricks on us until the very end.
La Chimera is one of those rare films that will play on your mind and heart long after watching. I highly recommend viewing it at the cinema and losing yourself in this heartbreaking masterpiece.
About the reviewer
Alannah Southerton
Alannah Southerton is an actress, and young filmmaker studying a degree in English Literature and Film Studies. She is a fan of independent cinema and can be seen playing ‘Tamara’ in upcoming BBC Films/Parkville Pictures feature film ‘Lollipop’. In her downtime she is most likely to be found with her nose in a book or sat at her piano with a cat on her lap.
