"La Chimera" is a comedy-drama written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher about chasing an impossible dream. Starring Josh O'Connor (of "The Crown") as a British archaeologist who returns to Tuscany after being released from prison after being involved in an international network of stolen Etruscan artifacts. Set in the 1980s, La Chimera takes the audience on an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between festivity and solitude, as the intertwined destinies of the characters unfold, each in search of their own Chimera.
FREE ENTRY!! Friday, 7 June, at 20:30,
Location: Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, Av. da República 300, Cascais
Did You Know...
Director, writer Alice Rohrwacher grew up in Tuscany amidst plentiful fields of Etruscan artifacts, and where braggadocious tombaroli (tomb raiders) were also plentiful. It was not until as a small child, when Ms. Rohrwacher saw "Raiders of the Lost Arc" in her local library, that these seemingly ordinary objects in the ground took on meaning as potential treasures, igniting the thrill of adventure in her young imagination.*
La Chimera, Rohrwacher's third film, received a 9 min standing ovation at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or.
Co-star, actress Isabella Rossellini's parents, director Roberto Rossellini and actress Ingrid Bergman, did a film together called "A Journey to Italy," 1954, which was one of Rohrwacher's many layers of inspiration for La Chimera. In particular, a scene in a tomb in Cerverteri, a film location which Ms. Rohrwacher wrote into La Chimera.
Actor Josh O'Connor, who won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of young Prince Charles in "The Crown", wrote to Ms. Rohrwacher several times asking to work with her, after seeing her 2018 film "Happy as Lazzaro". Mr. OÇonnor was originally not considered for the role of Arthur, as Rohrwacher had an older character in mind, but after meeting Josh O'Connor she said she had the feeling he had an old soul.
*Letterboxd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5DHy4C_ar4