In an age of reboots, sequels, cinematic universes, and adaptations, it can be rare to find a movie as self-contained and self-fulfilling as the ultra original La Chimera. Alice Rohrwacher’s newest film tells the story of a band of grave robbers who make their meager money by venturing into ancient crypts and lifting unseen Etruscan artifacts from their resting place.
|
LA CHIMERA ★★★1/2 (3.5/4 stars) |
Josh O’Connor stars as Arthur, an unlikely Englishman who has a sixth sense of sorts when it comes to these vaguely illegal archeological digs. No one can manage a dowsing rod quite like him, and whenever he nears a new site, a strange sensation overcomes him and leaves the screen a tad topsy-turvy. An archeology enthusiast with little to ground him in reality and morality, Arthur goes ahead with the merry band of art thieves, embracing their anarchic, ramshackle existence.
La Chimera opens with Arthur returning from a short stint in jail, having been accidentally left behind by his gang during an exploration gone wrong. He’s filthy, tired, and decidedly unmoored; he goes in and out of visions of Beniamina (Yile Vianello), the woman he still loves despite losing her. He splits his time between a pitiful self-made shack on the outskirts of town and the dilapidated estate of Beniamina’s family. There, he’s happy to direct his attention to her mother Flora (Isabella Rossellini), only to get distracted by her housekeeper-slash-music student, Italia (Carol Duarte).
The full extent of Arthur’s skill and chosen line of work isn’t revealed until quite some time into the movie, framing him as a mysterious drifter. He’s the kind of guy who lights his cigarette with help from a propane tank, living by the seat of his threadbare pants while barely staying in one place long enough to enjoy his life.
The film never really gets specific about time or location—Arthur and co. operate in the Italian countryside during a seemingly ‘80s era. It adds to La Chimera’s idiosyncratic nature, with other contributors including a few direct-to-camera addresses and an extended bard performance (with a teeny tiny tapestry) summarizing the life and times of the grave robbing group. Both the petty criminals and Flora’s many other daughters pop up as their own Greek choruses, delivering half comedy, half exposition in an amusing, chaotic cascade of subtitles. Rohrwacher’s storytelling is inviting, unique and engrossing; every moment pulses with life and history, and it’s easy to get sucked into a world that’s just slightly different from our own.
Much of that journey is helped along by Josh O’Connor’s enigmatic performance as Arthur. He’s a man with a past he clearly doesn’t want to return to, though he pines for his lost love. Instead of obsessing, though, he channels all of his heart and energy into discovery. He’s strangely, supernaturally talented, and O’Connor deepens this fantastical twist with every weighted look he sends towards the artifacts he digs up, the gentle care with which he handles these ancient trinkets. One climactic moment rests almost entirely on his reaction to an untouched crypt, and to what follows as his partners strip it for its parts. O’Connor and Rohrwacher craft this intricately heartbroken character, revealed in quiet, crucial moments as Arthur gabs with Flora or softens up around Italia. The actor has already impressed in projects like God’s Own Country, Emma and The Crown, but this may be his best work yet.
La Chimera is often enrapturing, focusing on a fascinating character and his troubled relationship to the world and its physical history. Sure, it may be about five or ten minutes too long, and some of the subplots feel contrived and unexplored, but the film poses novel questions about the things that Arthur dedicates his lives to digging up. Should these things be left in peace alongside the bodies they were buried with? Should the past stay contained? Do we have any right to look upon that which was meant solely for the dead?
Arthur ultimately gets his answer, but the audience has plenty of time to ruminate once the credits roll.
Observer Reviews are regular assessments of new and noteworthy cinema.
