As a lifelong connoisseur of indie cinema, I’ve witnessed many a film come and go, but the recent 25-week run of Alice Rohrwacher’s masterpiece, “La Chimera,” at New York City’s IFC Center has left an indelible mark on my cinematic soul. The film’s dreamy, funny, and romantic narrative, along with its unique blend of song, mixed film formats, and Alba Rohrwacher’s philosophical musings, created a viewing experience that demanded – and rewarded – multiple watchings.
In New York City’s independent cinema circuit, you might stumble upon a Wong Kar-wai film or a restored Federico Fellini piece at any moment. It’s highly likely that you’ll find Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession or Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal screening on an unusual Tuesday, and in 2021, Film Forum screened Jacques Deray’s La Piscine for a staggering 14 weeks as summer blended into autumn. New releases typically don’t stay for long – often replaced by dwindling audience interest or fresh 4K restorations of classic films – until Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, which recently concluded its 25-week run at the IFC Center in the West Village on September 19.
In the spring of 2023, “The Chimera” made its debut at Cannes and received favorable reviews. Later acquired and distributed by Neon, it hit theaters in late March of this year. Starring English actor Josh O’Connor, who spoke Italian throughout, this Italian film follows a tomb raider, or tombarolo, named Arthur, as he scours Umbria with a group of fellow thieves seeking Etruscan artifacts for an enigmatic collector known as Spartaco. The movie is whimsical, humorous, and frequently romantic, as Arthur searches for his missing lover, Beniamina, while developing feelings for the captivating Italia (Carol Duarte). It features songs, various film formats, and Alba Rohrwacher (Alice’s sister) uttering the phrase “to estimate the inestimable.” “The Chimera” offered a complex, immersive viewing experience, inviting repeated watchings to fully appreciate its depth.
As a supporter, I can share my personal experience about the challenges faced by a new film during a late-spring release. Even films with decent buzz struggle to stay afloat amidst the influx of later releases and the summer movie season. However, an unexpected boost from Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers in April, where O’Connor played the horny and aggressive tennis player Patrick Zweig, provided just the right momentum for La Chimera to survive through the spring. Harris Dew, our representative at IFC, highlighted this unusual success in an email, expressing surprise at the consistent growth in audience numbers during the eighth or ninth week of release – a phenomenon that’s quite rare, let alone in the 20th or 21st week!
For over a decade, no movie shown at IFC has had a successful run like that of La Chimera, according to Dew. He compared it to Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, though the latter ran for almost nine months upon release. “Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite would have continued for over 25 weeks,” Dew noted. “It opened in October 2019 but was forced to close when the pandemic forced us to shut down in March 2020.” He also mentioned other notable films that recently made it to the hall of fame: Wim Wenders’ Pina (35 weeks), Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams (34 weeks), Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void (30 weeks), and Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha (25 weeks).
During the mid-year season at IFC, there was a cozy and inviting feel to La Chimera; it was often tempting to forgo other plans just to catch the train to West 4th Street and ponder if seeing the movie one more time was worthwhile. Despite the frequent lamentations about the demise of independent film or the cinema experience, La Chimera’s tenure proved naysayers wrong – at least temporarily. As Dew mentioned, around 12,000 people attended La Chimera during its 25-week run, many of whom queued up for the movie on its final night (one viewer even displayed a tattoo of the film’s statue). The fact that the film honors memory, history, and art simultaneously made it an ideal fixture in the summer repertory, hinting that maybe someday someone will find their old ticket stub and feel like they’ve discovered a hidden treasure. But don’t be disheartened because it’s over – instead, be joyful, knowing that undoubtedly La Chimera will join its fellow rep films, disappearing and reappearing on theater screens time and time again.
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2024-09-20 22:53