La Chimera • Top & Original

Beniamina’s eccentric mother, who lives in a crumbling grand estate, fiercely holding onto the memories and aristocratic remnants of a bygone era.

Uses physical film stocks to craft an earthy, tactile atmosphere that makes the dust, soil, and sunlight feel tangible to the viewer.

Alice Rohrwacher's La Chimera explores materialism and memory La Chimera

The poem is a visionary, dreamlike invocation of a mysterious female figure—the Chimera—who represents beauty, artistic inspiration, and the elusive nature of the soul. The Style:

A fragile yet enigmatic protagonist whose "quiet chemistry" with the rest of the cast drives the film's emotional core. Beniamina’s eccentric mother, who lives in a crumbling

Over time, the term "chimera" evolved beyond its mythological definition to describe any unrealizable dream or wild illusion. It is this figurative meaning that most modern works—including Alice Rohrwacher's film—tap into, exploring the often-destructive pursuit of impossible fantasies.

★★★★½ (A requiem for the lost, sung by the soil.) The Style: A fragile yet enigmatic protagonist whose

Arthur's ragtag gang of grave-robbers, the chimera is the dream of easy wealth and a shortcut out of poverty.

: A pivotal moment occurs when the gang discovers an untouched Etruscan shrine. The character Italia declares the treasures are "not made for human eyes, but for souls' eyes," highlighting the moral conflict of disturbing the dead for profit.

The film's title refers to a "chimera"—a mythological beast made of disparate parts, representing an unattainable dream or a dangerous illusion.