Film Review – La Chimera (2023)

Put simply, La Chimera is a film that does what it says on the tin. The title has numerous definitions – an out-of-reach dream, a pretence, even an imaginary monster – but ultimately it comes down to the idea of illusion and fantasy. And Alice Rohrwacher’s Italian reverie overflows with it.

Arthur (Josh O’Connor) is a shambolic English architect with a gift for finding valuable artefacts. Fresh out of prison, he travels to Tuscany to track down his associates, a crew of tombaroli (ancient tomb robbers) who need his special talents to help them strip graves of their treasures and sell them on to a notorious fence. But Arthur’s not really interested in the artefacts themselves, or the money they bring in. He wants to discover the legendary door to the underworld and, even more importantly, find his lost love, a girl called Beniamina, who constantly haunts his dreams.

It’s a film that almost resists being summarised, but comedy/fantasy comes closest, with an undercurrent of the deepest sadness and poignancy that, one way or another, fuels much of the emotion on show. That melancholy isn’t just confined to the characters. It’s just as relevant to Italy itself, with its faded glory and relics ready and waiting to be plundered and which come at a price – not just money, but profound sadness. Tragedy, even. Yet, balanced alongside its darker side is a vibrancy, a joyous sense of life, much of which comes from the grave robbers themselves, with their music, their energy and their impudent but savvy attitude to life and anybody who crosses their path. And that includes the audience.

Rohrwacher takes us on a complex journey, one so beautifully photographed that it’s a work of art in its own right. But she never hurries or rushes the story, allowing it to take its time and cast its spell over the audience, while they immerse themselves in the atmosphere and culture. O’Connor is on superb form: on the inside, his Arthur is just as dishevelled as his increasingly grubby clothes, disappointed by all aspects of his life but still determined to chase the dream embedded in his memories. He handles speaking Italian effortlessly and carries the film with a style and conviction that’s guaranteed to earn him even more fans.

At a time when the world is increasingly dark and threatening, La Chimera is a soothing, magical balm. It doesn’t fight shy of the realities of human nature, but reminds us that, alongside the sadness, there is plenty of life to be enjoyed and that it’s within everybody’s grasp.

★★★★

In UK cinemas from 10 May / Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini, Carol Duarte, Vincenzo Nemolato / Dir: Alice Rohrwacher / Curzon Film / 15