La chimera | |
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Directed by | Alice Rohrwacher |
Written by | Alice Rohrwacher |
Produced by | Carlo Cresto Dina |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Hélène Louvart |
Edited by | Nelly Quettier |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 133 minutes |
Countries |
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Languages |
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Box office | $1.5 million[2] |
La chimera (Italian: [la kiˈmɛːra]) is a 2023 period romantic drama film written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher. The film stars Josh O'Connor, Carol Duarte, Vincenzo Nemolato, Alba Rohrwacher and Isabella Rossellini.
La chimera was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 26 May 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and was named one of the top 5 international films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.[3]
The story centers on a young British archaeologist who gets involved in an international network of stolen Etruscan artifacts during the 1980s.
Filming began in February 2022,[5] and was filmed in southern Tuscany (Montalcino, Asciano–Monte Antico railway, Monte Amiata Scalo, Torrenieri), and northern Lazio (Tarquinia, Blera, San Lorenzo Nuovo, Civitavecchia).[6][7][8][9]
In May 2022, it was announced that Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[10][11][12]
La chimera premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2023, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or and received a nine-minute standing ovation.[13] It screened at the 61st New York Film Festival in October 2023.[14] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 7 October 2023.[15]
The film will be released in the United States by Neon on March 29, 2024.[16][17] It was released in Italy by 01 Distribution on 23 November 2023,[18] and in France by Ad Vitam on 6 December 2023.[19]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, La chimera holds an approval rating of 92% based on 49 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "If La Chimera is a wild, improbable pursuit, this marvelous and magical tale by Alice Rochrwacher is the pie in the sky to behold."[20] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average, the film holds a score of 86 out of 100, based on 12 reviews indicating "universal acclaim".[21]
In his review for Variety, following its premiere at Cannes, Guy Lodge called the film "marvelously supple and sinuous" and commended Rohrwacher's direction, the cinematography and the cast performances, particularly O'Connor's, of which he wrote: "Raffish and boyish at the same time—or switching between either mode as a cover for the other—O'Connor's deft, droll performance implies such possibilities without sentimentalizing them".[22] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, reporting that the film "totally occupies its own narrative space," depicting "a poignant sense of Italy as a treasure trove of past glories, a necropolitan culture of ancient excellence," through direction that is "exhilarating and celebratory in its utterly distinctive style."[23]
The film was considered one of the best Italian film projects of 2023 by Italian critics.[24][25][26] Alessandro De Simone of Ciak wrote that it is visible "an avowedly Pasolinian structure" in which the director inserts "a calculated anarchy in narrative and in staging," finding it overall "very simple, the chaos is orderly, fascinating and magical," although "it could have been more so."[27] Andrea Chimento of Il Sole 24 Ore described the project as Rohrwacher's "most ambitious and profound operation", which although it "spins too much in the middle part," emerges as "an intriguing and enigmatic film, endowed with a symbolic atmosphere that makes it a feature film worth thinking about and digesting."[28]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival | 8 December 2023 | Prix spécial du Jury | La chimera | Won | [29] |
Cannes Film Festival | 27 May 2023 | AFCAE Art House Cinema Award | Alice Rohrwacher | Won | [30] |
Palme Dog - Mutt Moment | La chimera | Won | [31] | ||
Palme d'Or | Alice Rohrwacher | Nominated | [13] | ||
Chicago International Film Festival | 22 October 2023 | Gold Hugo | La chimera | Nominated | [32] |
Silver Hugo for Best Cinematography | Hélène Louvart | Won | [33] | ||
Silver Hugo for Best Ensemble Performance | Cast of La chimera | Won | |||
European Film Awards | 9 December 2023 | Best Production Designer | Emita Frigato | Won | [34] |
Best European Actor | Josh O'Connor | Nominated | [35] | ||
Golden Ciak | to be announced | Best Motion Picture - Drama | La chimera | Pending | [36] |
Best Director | Alice Rohrwacher | Pending | |||
International Cinephile Society | 11 February 2024 | Best Picture | La chimera | Nominated | [37] |
Best Actor | Josh O'Connor | Nominated | |||
Best Cinematography | Hélène Louvart | Nominated | |||
Telluride Film Festival | 24 September 2023 | Silver Medallion Award | Alice Rohrwacher | Won | [38] |
Valladolid International Film Festival | 28 October 2023 | Golden Spike | La chimera | Nominated | [39] |
Silver Spike | Won | [40] |