When we talk about “movie magic,” the first thing that comes to mind is often something like the bikes achieving liftoff in “E.T.” But it applies no less to Alice Rohrwacher’s wondrous “La Chimera,” a grubbily transcendent folk tale of a film that finds its enchantment buried in the ground. “Were you dreaming?” a train conductor asks the sleeping Arthur (Josh O’Connor), a distant, temperamental Brit in Italy with little more to his name than the rumpled cream-colored linen suit he wears. The answer is yes. Radiant memories of Arthur’s dead lover, Benjamina, haunt his dreams and propel him on a strange quest into the underground tombs of Tuscany. A melancholy spell seems to hang over Arthur, who has a mystical gift for finding ancient relics. It’s the early 1980s. Arthur is returning home from a stint in jail for grave robbing. His homecoming is received like a hero’s return by the scruffy, carnivalesque band of tombaroli — tomb raiders who plunder Etruscan artifacts — who look on Arthur more like a prince than a destitute thief. They call him “maestro.” |
Miro Heiskanan, Jason Robertson lead Stars past Kraken 3Xi extends congratulations to National University of Defense Technology on 70th anniversaryXi calls on Shaanxi to write new chapter in advancing Chinese modernizationA glimpse into Suzhou Industrial ParkXi welcomes guests attending Chengdu UniversiadeSenior CPC official stresses study of Xi's worksHamas says UNSC resolution demanding Gaza truce shows Israel's isolationSearch continues in Maine as officer is charged with lying about taking missing person to hospitalTwins use a sevenPalestinian death toll in Gaza Strip rises to 32,623: ministry