La chimera (2023)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A British archaeologist-turned-grave robber navigates the complexities of faith, theft, and personal connection in the Italian countryside.
The story
In 1980, Arthur, a sullen British former archaeologist, returns to his home in central Italy after being released from jail. He visits his ex-girlfriend's mother at her crumbling estate, where he meets a local woman named Italia. While Arthur's family tries to find him work, he spends his time with a band of 'tombaroli' friends. Together with a young photographer, they use a 'chimera'—a vision he experiences near gravesites—to locate and excavate Etruscan tombs. The group seeks to seize the grave goods for themselves, leading to a tense dynamic between their illicit activities and the lives of those around them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1980, Arthur, a British former archaeologist, returns to central Italy after imprisonment. He stays at the crumbling estate of his ex-girlfriend's mother, Flora, and becomes close to her housemaid, Italia. Arthur leads a group of 'tombaroli' (grave robbers) who use his mystical 'chimera' visions to locate Etruscan treasures. After finding a sacred underground shrine, the group is forced to flee when they are confronted by police. They end up with only the head of a central goddess statue. During a tense negotiation with a dealer, Arthur chooses to throw the head into a lake to honor Italia's belief that grave goods belong to the dead. Following the destruction of his home by police, Arthur joins a rival gang of robbers. In the final scene, as a tunnel collapses on him, Arthur experiences a vision where he reunites with his lost love, Beniamina.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 133
- Production countries
- Italy; Switzerland
- Original languages
- Italian; Brazilian Portuguese
- Directors
- Alice Rohrwacher
- Writers
- Alice Rohrwacher · writer
- Cast and characters
- Josh O'Connor · Arthur; Isabella Rossellini; Alba Rohrwacher; Carol Duarte; Vincenzo Nemolato
- Genres
- comedy-drama; crime drama; independent
- Themes
- relationship with the past; sacred vs. profane; faith
- Tone and mood
- magical realism; poignant; anarchic
- Premise and plot tags
- archaeology; grave robbing; Italian landscape
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was named one of the top 5 international films of 2023 by the National Board of Review. It was also considered one of the best Italian films of 2023 by Italian critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 91 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Awards and nominations
- David di Donatello · nominations · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was part of a planned trilogy by Alice Rohrwacher.; It received a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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