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La chimera

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La chimera
Release poster
Directed byAlice Rohrwacher
Written byAlice Rohrwacher
Produced byCarlo Cresto Dina
Starring
CinematographyHélène Louvart
Edited byNelly Quettier
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • 01 Distribution (Italy)[1]
  • Ad Vitam Distribution (France)
  • Filmcoopi (Switzerland)[1]
Release dates
  • 26 May 2023 (2023-05-26) (Cannes)
  • 23 November 2023 (2023-11-23) (Italy)
  • 6 December 2023 (2023-12-06) (France)
Running time
133 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • France
  • Switzerland
Languages
Box office$5.2 million[4]

La chimera (Italian: [la kiˈmɛːra], meaning "The Impossible Dream") is a 2023 period comedy-drama film written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher. The film stars Josh O'Connor as a British looter who gets involved in an international network of stolen Etruscan artifacts during the 1980s. Carol Duarte, Vincenzo Nemolato, Alba Rohrwacher and Isabella Rossellini appear in supporting roles.

La chimera was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 26 May 2023. It was released in Italy by 01 Distribution on 23 November 2023. It received 13 nominations at the 69th David di Donatello awards.[5] The film received positive reviews from critics, being named one of the top 5 international films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.[6]

Plot

[edit]

Arthur, a former British archaeologist, returns to Italy after being released from prison; he was arrested for stealing artifacts from tombs to sell to an art dealer named Spartaco. He goes to visit his ex-girlfriend Beniamina's mother, Flora, at her family home, where he also meets her live-in maid and student, Italia. Beniamina has been missing for an undisclosed amount of time, but her mother is convinced she will one day return. Beniamina's sisters are sick of Arthur seemingly freeloading off their mother and try to find him a job, which he refuses. Arthur, lacking a decent coat and proper heating in his hut, catches a cold.

The next day, Beniamina's mother sends Italia to bring Arthur some coffee and a thermometer. While she looks around his place, Arthur discovers that his artifacts - which he had kept buried in the ground beneath a tree - are missing. Arthur goes to his gang's lair. Confronted, they return his stolen artifacts and attempt to reconcile. He rebuffs them initially, but accompanies them to the Epiphany celebrations happening in town. During the festival, a farmer approaches them about locating a tomb on his land. Arthur's friends agree to look for it.

At the farm, Arthur, his gang, also tomb raiders (tombaroli), and a young photographer named Melodie, search for the tomb, which Arthur locates using a dowsing twig and through his 'chimeras' - visions he experiences upon standing atop a gravesite. Arthur feigns being sick so that his friends can scare away the farmer and return later in the night to excavate the Etruscan grave goods. Arthur and his friends continue to rob tombs, collecting artifacts to sell, and bringing them to Spartaco who runs an illicit operation inside a veterinary clinic.

Arthur and Italia grow close after some time, and Arthur expresses romantic interest in her one night as they dance on a beach. His friends decide to go skinny dipping, but are stopped when Arthur experiences a vision - locating a grave. Upon realizing that Arthur and his friends are graverobbers, Italia threatens to call the police. She tries to appeal to Arthur by asking what Beniamina would think of him - the others dismiss her, telling her that Beniamina is dead. Upset, Italia leaves.

Inside the tomb, Arthur and his friends discover a statue of Artume. His friends decapitate the statue in an attempt to move it out of the tomb, which Arthur disapproves as he is deeply moved by it. Hearing police sirens, Arthur and his friends flee with the head of the statue, unaware that the sirens were a trick by another group attempting to steal the artifacts. Flora's family discovers that Italia was secretly hiding her children in her room and they kick her out.

Melodie takes the gang to find Spartaco, who is her aunt. They find Spartaco on a boat, running an auction to sell the rest of the statue, which she estimates is of invaluable worth. They attempt to bargain with her by using the head as blackmail. She asks to see the head to verify its legitimacy. Arthur reveals it to her, but has a change of heart and tosses it overboard and into the water.

Furious with Arthur, his gang parts ways with him. Out on the streets after his hut is taken down by police, Arthur runs into Italia's daughter, Colombina. She orders him to clean up and then takes him to her mother, who is now living in an abandoned train station with other single mothers. The two reconcile and share a kiss, only for him to leave again in the morning.

Arthur joins the group of tomb robbers who previously pretended to be police officers. After locating a tunnel and at the insistence of the group, Arthur reluctantly enters. The shaft crumbles behind him, trapping him inside. He has a final vision where he reunites with Beniamina.

Cast

[edit]
  • Josh O'Connor as Arthur
  • Carol Duarte as Italia
  • Vincenzo Nemolato as Pirro
  • Alba Rohrwacher as Spartaco
  • Isabella Rossellini as Flora
  • Lou Roy-Lecollinet as Mélodie
  • Giuliano Mantovani as Jerry
  • Gian Piero Capretto as Mario
  • Melchiorre Pala as Melchiorre
  • Ramona Fiorini as Fabiana
  • Luca Gargiullo as Dock Worker
  • Yile Vianello as Beniamina
  • Barbara Chiesa as Nella
  • Elisabetta Perotto as Vera
  • Chiara Pazzaglia as Rossa
  • Francesca Carrain as Sista
  • Valentino Santagati as Troubadour (voice and guitar)
  • Piero Crucitti as Troubadour (triangle and accordion)
  • Luciano Vergaro as Katir
  • Carlo Tarmati as Carabiniere

Production

[edit]

Filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher planned La chimera as the last part of a trilogy with Le meraviglie (The Wonders, 2014) and Lazzaro felice (Happy as Lazzaro, 2018) to investigate our relationship with the past.[7] For the last film she chose an international cast for the first time.[8]

Filming was done in February 2022 resuming in August 2022,[7] on locations in southern Tuscany (Montalcino, Asciano–Monte Antico railway, Monte Amiata Scalo, Torrenieri), northern Lazio (Tarquinia, Blera, San Lorenzo Nuovo, Civitavecchia) and Umbria (villa di Casa Pisana in Castel Giorgio), with additional filming in Switzerland.[9][10][11][12][13]

Release

[edit]

La chimera premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2023, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or and received a nine-minute standing ovation.[14] It screened at the 61st New York Film Festival in October 2023.[15] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 7 October 2023.[16]

It was released in Italy by 01 Distribution on 23 November 2023,[17] and in France by Ad Vitam on 6 December 2023.[18] Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film at the Marché du Film at Cannes in May 2022;[19][20][21] it was released in the United States by Neon on 29 March 2024.[22][23] Earlier, in the United States, it was released for a one-week awards-qualifying run beginning 8 December 2023.[24] Curzon released the film in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 10 May 2024.[25][26]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

The film opened in North America on 29 March 2024 and grossed $44,511 from 3 theatres during its opening weekend, finishing 32nd at the box office.[27][28][4]

As of 11 September 2024, La chimera grossed $1 million in North America (USA, Canada and Puerto Rico), and $4,231,797 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $5.2 million.[4]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 138 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "If La Chimera is a wild, improbable pursuit, this marvelous and magical tale by Alice Rochrwacher is the pie in the sky to behold."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 91 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[30]

In his review for Variety, following its premiere at Cannes, Guy Lodge called the film "marvelously supple and sinuous" and commended Rohrwacher's direction, the cinematography and the cast performances, particularly O'Connor's, of which he wrote: "Raffish and boyish at the same time—or switching between either mode as a cover for the other—O'Connor's deft, droll performance implies such possibilities without sentimentalizing them".[31] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film five out of five stars, reporting that the film "totally occupies its own narrative space," depicting "a poignant sense of Italy as a treasure trove of past glories, a necropolitan culture of ancient excellence," through direction that is "exhilarating and celebratory in its utterly distinctive style."[32]

The film was considered one of the best Italian film projects of 2023 by Italian critics.[33][34][35] Alessandro De Simone of Ciak wrote that it is visible "an avowedly Pasolinian structure" in which the director inserts "a calculated anarchy in narrative and in staging," finding it overall "very simple, the chaos is orderly, fascinating and magical," although "it could have been more so."[36] Andrea Chimento of Il Sole 24 Ore described the project as Rohrwacher's "most ambitious and profound operation", which although it "spins too much in the middle part," emerges as "an intriguing and enigmatic film, endowed with a symbolic atmosphere that makes it a feature film worth thinking about and digesting."[37]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival 8 December 2023 Prix spécial du Jury La chimera Won [38]
Cannes Film Festival 27 May 2023 AFCAE Art House Cinema Award Alice Rohrwacher Won [39]
Palme Dog - Mutt Moment La chimera Won [40]
Palme d'Or Alice Rohrwacher Nominated [14]
Chicago International Film Festival 22 October 2023 Gold Hugo La chimera Nominated [41]
Silver Hugo for Best Cinematography Hélène Louvart Won [42]
Silver Hugo for Best Ensemble Performance Cast of La chimera Won
David di Donatello 3 May 2024 Best Film La chimera Nominated [5]
Best Producer Carlo Cresto-Dina, Paolo Del Brocco, Rai Cinema, AMKA Films Productions, Ad Vitam Production Nominated
Best Director Alice Rohrwacher Nominated
Best Actor Josh O'Connor Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Alba Rohrwacher Nominated
Isabella Rossellini Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Alice Rohrwacher Nominated
Best Cinematography Hélène Louvart Nominated
Best Sets and Decorations Emita Frigato, Rachele Meliadò Nominated
Best Editing Nelly Quettier Nominated
Best Sound Xavier Lavorel, Marta Billingsley, Maxence Ciekawy Nominated
Best Costumes Loredana Buscemi Nominated
Best Hairstyling Daniela Tartari Nominated
European Film Awards 9 December 2023 Best Production Designer Emita Frigato Won [43]
Best European Actor Josh O'Connor Nominated [44]
Golden Ciak 25 January 2024 Best Motion Picture - Drama La chimera Nominated [45]
Best Director Alice Rohrwacher Nominated
International Cinephile Society 11 February 2024 Best Picture La chimera Nominated [46]
Best Actor Josh O'Connor Nominated
Best Cinematography Hélène Louvart Nominated
Nastro d'Argento 27 June 2024 Best Film Alice Rohrwacher Nominated [47]
Best Director Alice Rohrwacher Nominated
Best Screenplay Alice Rohrwacher Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Isabella Rossellini Won [48]
Best Costume Design Loredana Buscemi Nominated [47]
Guglielmo Biraghi Award Yile Yara Vianello Won [48]
Swiss Film Awards 22 March 2024 Best Sound Xavier Lavorel Won [49]
Telluride Film Festival 24 September 2023 Silver Medallion Award Alice Rohrwacher Won [50]
Valladolid International Film Festival 28 October 2023 Golden Spike La chimera Nominated [51]
Silver Spike Won [52]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Ntim, Zac (7 June 2023). "Alice Rohrwacher's Cannes Title 'La Chimera' Sells Out Internationally For The Match Factory". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Emma (Summer 2024). "Alice Rohrwacher's Cinema of Poetry". Film Quarterly. 77 (4): 19–28. doi:10.1525/fq.2024.77.4.19. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  3. ^ Kumkova, Katya (17 May 2024). "Transcript: 'La chimera' — everything you'd want in an Italian film". Life and Art from FT Weekend. Interviewed by Brumley, Cheryl; Giusti, Marianna. Financial Times. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "La Chimera (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b Roxborough, Scott (3 April 2024). "Paola Cortellesi's 'There's Still Tomorrow' Leads Italy's Donatello Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  6. ^ Lewis, Hilary (6 December 2023). "National Board of Review Names 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Best Film of 2023". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b Vivarelli, Nick (14 February 2022). "'The Crown' Star Josh O'Connor, Isabella Rossellini Set for Alice Rohrwacher's 'La Chimera' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  8. ^ Ritman, Alex (20 May 2022). "Cannes: Neon Nabs Alice Rohrwacher's 'La Chimera,' Starring Josh O'Connor, Isabella Rossellini". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  9. ^ Vagaggini, Elisabetta (14 April 2023). ""La Chimera", il nuovo film di Alice Rohrwacher in concorso a Cannes 76". intoscana - Il Portale ufficiale della Toscana (in Italian). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Civitavecchia, 7 giorni di riprese per "La Chimera", il nuovo film di Alice Rohrwacher". Meridiana Notizie, Agenzia videogiornalistica dedicata alla Regione Lazio, Sede ROMA (in Italian). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ^ "In Toscana l'anno dei grandi set riparte con il nuovo film di Alice Rohrwacher" (in Italian). Toscana Film Commission. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
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  14. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (26 May 2023). "Alice Rohrwacher's 'La Chimera' Revels In Nine-Minute Standing Ovation At Triumphant Cannes Film Festival Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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  18. ^ Mrad, Slim (21 May 2023). "Ecoprod désigne ses lauréats". Boxoffice Pro (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  19. ^ Ravindran, Manori (20 May 2022). "Neon Buys Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini's 'La Chimera'". Variety. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  20. ^ Pedersen, Erik (20 May 2022). "Neon Takes North America On Alice Rohrwacher's 'La Chimera' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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  22. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (23 May 2023). "Alice Rohrwacher on Casting 'The Crown' Star Josh O'Connor as a British Archaeologist Who Helps Steal Artifacts in 'La Chimera' – Watch Clip (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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  27. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (29 March 2024). "Liam Neeson & Sean Penn Pics Stomp Into Monster Mashup Weekend – Specialty Preview". Deadline. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  28. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (31 March 2024). "'Late Night With The Devil' Possesses Week 2; Duo Of Indian Films Hits Top Ten – Specialty Box Office". Deadline. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
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  30. ^ "La chimera". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  31. ^ Lodge, Guy (26 May 2023). "'La Chimera' Review: Josh O'Connor Is a Grave Robber Seeking More Elusive Treasure in Alice Rohrwacher's Enchanting New Film". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  32. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (26 May 2023). "La Chimera review – Alice Rohrwacher's uproarious adventure teems with life". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  33. ^ Barone, Martina (29 December 2023). "Bianco e nero, noir e documentari. Anche un pizzico di humor: tutto il meglio del cinema italiano del 2023 in 10 film (scelti dalla redazione)". The Hollywood Reporter Roma (in Italian). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  34. ^ Santoni, Simona (28 December 2023). "I 10 film italiani più belli del 2023". Panorama (in Italian). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  35. ^ "I 23 migliori film usciti al cinema in Italia nel 2023" (in Italian). Sky TG24. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  36. ^ Simone, Alessandro De (27 May 2023). "Cannes 2023, La chimera, recensione del film di Alice Rohrwacher". Ciak (in Italian). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  37. ^ Chimento, Andrea (24 November 2023). ""La chimera", segreti e misteri in un film carico di nostalgia". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  38. ^ "Bruxelles : affluence record au festival Cinemamed, qui décerne son Grand Prix au réalisateur turc Selman Nacar" (in French). RTBF. Belga. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  39. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (27 May 2023). "Four Daughters and The Mother of All Lies scoop Cannes' Golden Eye". Cineuropa. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  40. ^ Roxborough, Scott (26 May 2023). "Cannes: 'Anatomy of a Fall' Border Collie Messi Wins Palm Dog in Most Competitive Canine Contest Yet". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  41. ^ Kay, Jeremy (14 September 2023). "'Fallen Leaves', 'About Dry Grasses', 'La Chimera' among Chicago fest international line-up (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  42. ^ "59th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Award-Winners". RogerEbert.com. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  43. ^ "These are the winners of the Excellence Awards 2023". European Film Awards. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  44. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (7 November 2023). "'Fallen Leaves' & 'The Zone Of Interest' Top European Film Award Nominations In Main Categories". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  45. ^ "Ciak d'oro 2023, tutti i candidati". Ciak. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  46. ^ Stevens, Beth (11 February 2024). "2024 ICS Award Winners". International Cinephile Society. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  47. ^ a b "Nastri d'Argento 2024, le candidature". RB Casting (in Italian). 7 June 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  48. ^ a b De Marco, Camillo (1 July 2024). "Io Capitano is named Best Film at the Nastri d'Argento Awards". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  49. ^ "Best sound 2024 La Chimera". schweizerkulturpreise.ch. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  50. ^ Poliziani, Karli (19 October 2023). "Telluride Film Festival 2023 Winners". Grazia. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  51. ^ Rivera, Alfonso (19 October 2023). "Valladolid's Seminci celebrates its first edition directed by José Luis Cienfuegos". Cineuropa. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  52. ^ Hopewell, John; Sandoval, Pablo (29 October 2023). "Valladolid: 'The Permanent Picture,' 'The Old Oak' Win Big as the Spanish Festival's Reboot Wins Applause". Variety. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
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