“It’s a story of a loss, a lack, but it’s told in a burlesque, whimsical way”: Alice Rohrwacher on La Chimera

If Josh O’Connor weren’t already a hot commodity, he certainly has cemented that status, with his double whammy of knock-out performances working with Italian auteurs: first, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, now, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera.

A mesmerising blend of history, romance and archaeology, the film takes audiences back to the 1980s, set against the former Etruscan landscapes of rural Italy. At the centre of the narrative is Arthur, portrayed by O’Connor, an English archaeologist who finds himself entangled with a group of local graverobbers known as tomboroli. Arthur’s quest, however, is not driven by greed but by a yearning to reconnect with his lost love, Beniamina. Through his excavation of ancient tombs, believed by locals to be cursed, he seeks a reunion that transcends the boundaries of the living and the dead. Rohrwacher’s film has an intoxicating quality as it walks a fine line between reality and myth, and explores how we evoke the past in the present, offering food for thought on what we as a generation will leave as our legacy for treasure hunters of the future.

The Upcoming had a fascinating chat with Rohrwacher about the creation of La Chimera and its mutable tone, blending drama, comedy and adventure, while exploring themes of loss and the elusive. She shared how she aimed to defy categorisation in a world obsessed with labels, and that it was O’Connor’s timeless quality that made him perfect for the role.

Sarah Bradbury

La Chimera is released in select cinemas on 10^th May 2024.

Watch the trailer for La Chimera here: