Written for RAF News May 2024

Freshly released from jail in Tuscany, an Englishman wanders back into the company of his friends, a disreputable but loving gang of grave-robbers lead by his uncanny gift for dowsing.

Arthur (Josh O’Connor) has an aura that attracts people, this in spite of his demeanour which is largely aloof if not cagey. Grieving the loss of his girlfriend and without a job or place to go, he finds himself staying with the mother of his absent partner Flora (Isabella Rossellini) in a ramshackle palace frequented by her army of daughters, as well as Italia (Carol Duarte), one of her least talented students.

Tone deaf but undertaking vocal coaching, Italia stays in the house, curiously observing Arthur and carrying out the housework apparently in aid of her tutelage: “to exercise the voice, you must first exercise the body”. A convenient method of teaching that saves Flora from having to pay a maid.

With segments shot on 16mm, or in a wacky altered frame rate, La Chimera has many playful affectations but it never feels forced. Classical music provides interstitials filled with cutaways that are observational and dreamlike, like long-forgotten memories. There is a vibrance to the picture, not only in its colour but in the life that it depicts. Each character with their wild uniqueness emerges naturally from this world, which in case you were interested is the small commune of Riparbella sometime in the 1980s.

Just like his grave-robbing gang – the so-called ‘tombalari’ – desperate to have Arthur’s guidance, pointing the way to underground chambers filled with undiscovered relics, La Chimera is funny and charming. In fact their humour and attitude is deeply infectious, and it is a pleasure to spend time in their company. A wondrous and whimsical experience.