La Chimera

Tuscany, early 1980s. Arthur (a revelatory Josh O'Connor, Challengers, The Crown) has just been released from a short stint in prison. During his earlier studies in the region, he fell in love with Beniamania, the daughter of an ageing local aristocrat (Isabella Rossellini), but she's now gone. Arthur has fallen in with the Tombaroli, a rowdy crew of twenty-somethings who pretend to make their living as farmers and entertainers, but instead pilfer the area's ancient Etruscan tombs for earthenware and ornaments to sell on the black market, hoping to one day strike it rich. Meanwhile Flora's live-in maid and tone-deaf music student, Italia (Carol Dyarte), catches Arthur's eye but she has her own secrets.

Premiering to major success at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Rohrwacher's rule-breaking, magical film uncovers a world of wonders just below the surface. La Chimera is a mesmerising ode to the fraglilty of the beautiful things in life, and a cautionary tale about how easily they can be lost.