myth, with Arthur descending into the literal and metaphorical underworld to find a connection to the woman he lost. Liminality
Fans of Happy as Lazzaro , Portrait of a Lady on Fire (for the longing), Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia , or anyone who believes that cinema can be prayer. La Chimera
The film’s secret heart, however, is not Arthur’s grief but Italia’s stubborn life. Italia is a young mother, a former opera singer with a voice that cracks beautifully. She lives in the same villa as Arthur, raising her daughter and caring for Beniamina’s aging, blind mother, Flora (Isabella Rossellini in a masterclass of quiet devastation). Where Arthur is turned entirely toward the past, Italia is furiously, imperfectly present. She washes clothes. She chases chickens. She sings to her baby in the dark. myth, with Arthur descending into the literal and