There's a sudden act of violence in the middle of La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher's latest ethereally seductive film, that had me clamping my hand over my mouth in horror – even though it was committed against a sculpture. That is the uniqueness of this director's vision, her tender love for the Italian soil and the culture that is rooted in it.
If you've seen Rohrwacher's previous work (Corpo Celeste, The Wonders, Happy as Lazarus), you will know how connected it is with tradition, age-old mysticism, the laws of the land. One early shot here could almost symbolize her art: there is a red thread attached to someone that literally disappears into the earth, and we realize that the owner, trying to pull it free, is in heaven.
It belongs to the protagonist's deceased love, an abandoned Englishman named Arthur (The Crown and Challengers star Josh O'Connor), who has made a base for himself with a tin-roof hut in the Etruscan countryside, next to a ruined ancient wall. He is a dowser, who can use a dowsing rod or simply his natural antennae to locate underground relics, and as such has become the kingpin of a small group of “tombaroli” – grave robbers.
Before any particular story sinks in, we stroll around in a very Rohrwachy fashion with this burly clan, meeting their matriarch of sorts, a retired opera singer infused with sparkle, in a wheelchair, by Isabella Rossellini. They are all delightfully bewildered by Arthur, a persistent stranger in their midst with his dirty suits and imperfect Italian.
One woman in their circle (a beautiful performance by Brazilian actress Carol Duarte) goes to great lengths to teach him the language of signs – those pinched fingers and hand movements that Italians use as silent slang. In doing so, she brings a sweet gleam to his eyes, perhaps the first sign that he is relearning how to live.