'La Chimera' Review: A Delightfully Whimsical Archaeological Adventure [TIFF 23]
This surrealist italian adventure is a serene delight
Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera is undoubtably one of the strangest films to come out of TIFF 2023, but definitely one of the most distinct. Alternating between 35mm, Super 16, and 16mm formats, this serene, dream-like Italian archaeology dramedy is not one to be missed.
The film follows a sprawling adventure set to the backdrop of 1980’s Tuscany, with a scrappy group of local Italian tomb raiders and their hunts for relics of the Etruscan era of Italy’s history, one that is infamous in notoriety for the cultural sensitivity and serene way of life.
The film is anchored by the incredible Josh O’Connor, who plays Arthur, an expatriate English archaeological scholar who shares a complicated history with the lead group of Italian treasure hunters. Arthur also possesses something of an innate supernatural ability to locate and detect the presence of lost Etruscan relics and treasures.
The film begins with Arthur, fresh out of an Italian prison, catching the soonest train to reunite with his ragtag crew. From the beginning, the film immediately sweeps audience into the seemingly perennial state of understated whimsy, with the character interactions feeling lived-in and delightfully chaotic, yet subtle all the same. As Arthur reconnects with his group, the promise of a proverbial jackpot feels inevitable. The film follows an array of attempts to find Etruscan treasure, in an almost documentary-like manner, introspectively revealing more about Arthur and the rest of his team as characters, through a series of social encounters, all varying in nature, but remaining wholly in line with the astute tone the film so effortlessly maintains. The whole film manages to feel delightfully serene, with a profound sense of what I could only describe as ‘adult whimsy’, managing to feel effortlessly lively from beginning to end, even as it becomes gradually more somber, profound and trippy.
The way Rohrwacher explores the relationships within the story are remarkable. Whether it be Arthur’s relationship with his crew, new flame Italia (Carol Duarte), or with treasure itself, all of which are intrinsically and spiritually interlinked with his late love, Beniamina. The relationship to the Etruscan treasures themselves are explored in such a rich visual manner, with the Etruscan way of life seeping into the story’s second half in an ever-so satisfying manner. Questions are posed about the relationship to treasure that the characters have, with the purposes and meanings of said relics in Etruscan times being quietly juxtaposed to the world of the film. While it may seem cliche to see, the search for treasure, and spending time with the motley crew of characters feels like a treasure in of itself.
To describe La Chimera without an excess of adjectives is no easy task. The plot, by all means, is rather simplistic on paper, but an array of spirited performances, inspired direction, and breathtaking, dream-like cinematography / visual storytelling, La Chimera is a truly unique and transportive viewing experience that will undoubtably leave its mark on audiences.