Can a grave robber find redemption in the echoes of an ancient civilization?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Alice Rohrwacher’s La chimera follows a sullen British archaeologist who uses a dowsing rod to locate Etruscan tombs in 1980s Italy. As he navigates a world of illicit antiquities and personal loss, he discovers that the past is not merely a treasure trove, but a haunting, living presence.

La chimera, released in 2023, serves as the final installment in Alice Rohrwacher’s thematic trilogy, following Le meraviglie (2014) and Lazzaro felice (2018). The film explores humanity's complex relationship with history through the eyes of Arthur, an irritable British former archaeologist who returns to his Italian home after a stint in prison. Arthur possesses a unique, almost supernatural gift for divining the locations of hidden Etruscan tombs, a talent he exploits alongside a band of local grave robbers known as tombaroli.

The narrative is set against the backdrop of 1980s rural Italy, where the tension between the living and the dead becomes a central motif. While Arthur’s associates view the unearthed grave goods as commodities to be fenced for profit, others—like the housemaid Italia—argue that these artifacts belong to the souls of the departed. This conflict reaches a breaking point when Arthur discovers an untouched underground shrine. His internal struggle between greed and a growing spiritual awareness leads him to make a defiant choice, ultimately rejecting the commercialization of the past.

Critics have praised the film for its distinctive, magical style, with Metacritic assigning it a score of 91 out of 100. Rohrwacher’s direction is noted for its "calculated anarchy" and symbolic depth, successfully capturing Italy as a "necropolitan culture." By the time the film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, it had already established itself as a profound meditation on memory and loss. For Arthur, the pursuit of the 'chimera'—a vision of his missing ex-girlfriend, Beniamina—becomes a journey that transcends the physical world, culminating in a final, ethereal reunion that blurs the lines between the present and the ancient past.

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