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La Chimera

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La Chimera

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• Drama
• Adventure

• 2023
• Alice Rohrwacher
• 131 mins
• 15

Summary

Period comedy drama starring Josh O'Connor. In 1980s Italy, archaeologist and thief Arthur is released from prison and reunites with his gang of fellow graverobbers. The friends resume their activities, illegally digging up ancient artefacts to sell on the black market, but Arthur's brooding over a lost love threatens a dark turn for him and his cronies.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Max Copeman

Josh O'Connor and film-maker Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro) prove to be a stellar pairing with this eccentric and beguiling Italian-language drama about Etruscan tomb raiders. In 1980s Tuscany, archaeologist Arthur (O'Connor) is released from prison after serving a sentence for the theft of buried artefacts, and is reunited with his rabble-rousing gang of graverobbers. Yet as they search for more treasures to flog to black-market dealers, Arthur is haunted by the absence of his partner, Beniamina, and tries to reach her spirit via the same preternatural connection to land that he uses to find tombs to loot. Alongside a delightful Isabella Rossellini as Beniamina's mother, O'Connor is sensational as the sad-eyed, chain-smoking Brit who yearns for his lost love. Rohrwacher deftly balances comedy and melancholy, using flights of fabulism and episodic high jinks to explore the gritty reality of working-class life in rural Italy. With handsome cinematography also painting a textured picture of the director's homeland, this is a strange, spiritual and truly enchanting drama.

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7.3/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• BBC iPlayer
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameArthurJosh O'ConnorItaliaCarol DuartePirroVincenzo NemolatoMelodieLou Roy-LecollinetSpartacoAlba RohrwacherFloraIsabella Rossellini

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Crew

rolenameDirectorAlice Rohrwacher

Details

Theatrical distributor

Curzon

Released on

2024-05-10

Languages

English | German | Portuguese | Italian | French

Guidance

Swearing

Formats

Colour

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