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Surprisingly enough, this week I (as a hopeless filmmaker that loves technical aspects of the craft, yet the one who can’t put themselves into watching films) managed to watch more than none movies. More “surprisingly enough”, I managed not to read at all (or so be it, I did some reading as per se).
La Chimera, 2023
An Italian not-like-other-movies movie highly regarded by a great friend of mine? So who am I to walk by and miss La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher? A dream like tragedy mimicking a comedy that brings a relief while leaving a burdensome longing. The movie speaks about topics and things that may appear to one as distant and alien, something like Etruscan treasures — loss, grief, and lost sanity buried alive. However, no matter how distant the themes may be, La Chimera will make it about you. It beautifully blends in Greek mythology without cheap flamboyant references, and manages also to be reminiscent of Chekov’s works in its yearning to be seen and heard.
Joseph Brodsky
One day, I will stop communicating my love for Brodsky’s poetry, but It’s not going to be today nor tomorrow, so I’ve reread some of his poems, yet again. The highlight of this reread, undoubtedly, is Пилигримы (Pilgrims). The meaning, I’m pretty sure, everyone can find for themselves; so, as for the translation into English, there are two versions that I liked enough.
Translations by Ivan Doan and Andrey Kneller respectively.
Lazzaro felice, 2018
And finishing off with the greatest one among everything consumed this week, Lazzaro felice by Alice Rohrwacher.
After La Chimera I was set (and forced) to watch Lazzaro felice, which turned out to be more mystical, whimsical, emotional, and enigmatic. As in La Chimera, the leitmotifs of mythology, religious texts, and deep yearning with chronically lost hope are tied together in a big knot of unprocessed emotions and forgotten memories. The movie focuses on states and emotions rather than words and actions, which I find to be more valuable and plangently sophisticated.
