Review: La Chimera

Plum Magazine
Still from "La Chimera"


By Dalia Morgan
May MMXXIV

Dalia Morgan delves into Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera,” a poetic return to neorealism that intertwines the allure of ancient treasures with the art of filmmaking, as it explores the haunting ties between the past and present. A whimsical film, shot on 16mm, “La Chimera” is a tale of tomb-robbing, and the shady market for looted ... Review: La Chimera

Dalia Morgan delves into Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera,” a poetic return to neorealism that intertwines the allure of ancient treasures with the art of filmmaking, as it explores the haunting ties between the past and present.

A whimsical film, shot on 16mm, “La Chimera” is a tale of tomb-robbing, and the shady market for looted Etrsuscan antiquities, directed by Alice (ah-LEE-cheh) Rohrwacher, Italian.

Lent a hand by Isabella Rosselini, 71, who shows her modesty by accepting a supporting role—Flora, an aristocrat drawn to Arthur (Josh O’Conner), a disillusioned British archaeologist—is about as allergic to self-awareness as she can be.

The script is replete with diegetic music (when the music featured in the fictional world of the narrative tells its own story, like in Pasolini’s Uccellacci e uccellini).

Adding to a sense of authenticity, Alice continues a trend of neorealism by hiring non-actors. She mixes them up. And the result is a range of beautiful photography which compliments the script.

At its core, “La Chimera” is about bearing the weight of the past while living in the present. But most of all, for me, the film is about rediscovering the neorealist tradition. Rohrwacher’s authentic portrayals of life want to push filmmaking back into a more poetic and metaphysical territory, away from the buttoned-up cleanliness of CGI and Marvel.

The line which is repeated in La Chimera, “not meant for human eyes” refers, perhaps heavy-handedly (for today’s audience), to the sacred and forbidden nature of the past. But the treasure that the film seems to be looking upon, for me, is the art of film-making.

I did not like the ending, the tone of which I found typical of films today, but I will not spoil!

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