La Chimera

An English grave robber (Josh O’Connor) is released from prison in Italy and goes to Tuscany in search of his girlfriend and his old life.

Imagine if Indiana Jones found his stuff through divination then felt the sheer weight of sacrilege upon him as he plundered ancient tombs. A man caught between good and evil, unable to stop yet unable to live with his actions.

You could argue it’s not going to sell many tickets but neither did the last Indiana Jones.

Like many people in Western Europe I was raised to believe that ancient civilisations were amazing and interesting, but it was also understood that in modern society we reject their beliefs and religion. And yet as we stare at these works of art they stare back at us and tell us that there was civilisation before what we know.

And so La Chimera is in-part a ponderous but utterly captivating exploration of the link between Italy’s distant past and its present - the strained relationship between the birth of pre-Christian civilisations and the current home of the Pope.

It’s also just a totally chilled out and beautifully shot amble through Tuscany that I thoroughly recommend.