La Chimera: Film Review
Josh O’Connor is hot property at the moment and I’m thrilled about this development. Hot on the heels of Challengers, he is back in cinemas with Alice Rohrwacher‘s La Chimera.
Set in 1980s Tuscany, the drama tells the story of Arthur (O’Connor), a British archaeologist who has just been released from prison for committing a crime with a group of grave robbers. In this setting, a person’s chimera is something they try to find but never do. For Arthur, he is constantly searching for the girlfriend he lost, Beniamina.
La Chimera is one of those films where everything falls into place and makes sense at the end. It truly took it to another level – I went from simply liking the story to loving it upon watching its beautiful and profound ending. I finally understood the point and what it was trying to say and ended up thinking about it for a while after the credits rolled.
After I realised the point and primary throughline, I couldn’t help but reconsider what had come before. The narrative takes such a loose, weaving path to arrive at its destination. I didn’t dislike it but there’s a lot of additional content that didn’t necessarily need to be there. It held my interest because it was so intriguing and enigmatic – it doesn’t tell you much. I would have liked more information about Arthur’s history but we are given enough to work with.
You can’t help but wonder why Arthur works with these criminals when he clearly cares about the Etruscan artefacts and they’re just after a payday. Are they his friends or are they just using him because he has a gift for finding grave goods? You want him to find a better life and ditch those people.
O’Connor’s Arthur walks around with such a weight on his shoulders. He looks so sad, tired and lost. He could also do with a good shower and some clean clothes – he is sweaty and his clothes are filthy. You just want to give him a big hug. In addition to his sad performance, I was impressed by the fact O’Connor signed up for a film where he speaks Italian 70% of the time, maybe more. Between this and Challengers, O’Connor is truly delivering the goods right now.
La Chimera won’t be for everyone because it feels a bit aimless in places but it all comes together in a meaningful way. The ending really sealed the deal for me.
In cinemas from Friday 10th May. Streaming on MUBI from Friday 2nd August