Alice Rohrwacher makes films in search of wonder, and finds she does not need to go far. It’s there in the ethereal azure of the sky and the crystalline blue of the water; there in the singing, dancing, and aspirations of the young; and there in the lips that hold worker bees and melodies. As Rohrwacher sees it, a precious sort of magic sparkles among the people and is threaded through the land. Mirroring the open, curious approach of children and other innocents toward the world, her cinema is as luminous as it is illustrious, uncovering minor miracles in the humble everyday. To coincide with the theatrical release of her latest marvel, La chimera (2023), and a month-long celebration of her oeuvre at the Centre Pompidou, we are looking back at six treasured films from the Italian auteur.
Working with her sister, the stellar actor Alba Rohrwacher, and gifted cinematographer Hélène Louvart, Alice Rohrwacher has made three laurelled feature films to date. Across Corpo celeste (2011), The Wonders (2014), and Happy as Lazzaro (2018), two teenage girls with a searching gaze and a benign, credulous fool begin to catch glimpses of what lies outside the bounds of the Catholic Church, a honey farm, and a tobacco plantation. Little more than a stone’s throw from these secluded settings, modernity emits its enticing, though threatening whirr. Ambivalent about tradition when it tangles with rot and corruption, the writer and director is nonetheless affectionate toward the rituals of old when they care for nature and foster community. A moving lament for pastoral living, Omelia contadina (2020) casts a dignifying gaze on the countryside and its farmhands. Meanwhile, the short Four Roads (2020) is the serendipitous fruit of coming across some out-of-date film stock during lockdown. Rohrwacher calls on the camera’s zoom to act as an arm for her, reaching out to neighbors when she cannot. After receiving their words of hand-me-down wisdom, in the collaborative documentary Futura (2021), she surveys Italy’s adolescents for their visions of impending adulthood. Rohrwacher looks with tenderness to the past and hopefulness to the future. Watching her films, we are left with a different regard toward the world—warmer and empathetic, more inclined to experience delight.

Alice Rohrwacher makes films in search of wonder, and finds she does not need to go far. It&#8217;s there in the ethereal azure of the sky and the crystalline blue of the water; there in the singing, dancing, and aspirations of the young; and there in the lips that hold worker bees and melodies. As Rohrwacher sees it, a precious sort of magic sparkles among the people and is threaded through the land. Mirroring the open, curious approach of children and other innocents toward the world, her cinema is as luminous as it is illustrious, uncovering minor miracles in the humble everyday. To coincide with the theatrical release of her latest marvel, La chimera (2023), and a month-long celebration of her oeuvre at the <a href="https://www.centrepompidou.fr/fr/programme/agenda/evenement/rptDoii">Centre Pompidou</a>, we are looking back at six treasured films from the Italian auteur.
Working with her sister, the stellar actor Alba Rohrwacher, and gifted cinematographer Hélène Louvart, Alice Rohrwacher has made three laurelled feature films to date. Across Corpo celeste (2011), The Wonders (2014), and Happy as Lazzaro (2018), two teenage girls with a searching gaze and a benign, credulous fool begin to catch glimpses of what lies outside the bounds of the Catholic Church, a honey farm, and a tobacco plantation. Little more than a stone&#8217;s throw from these secluded settings, modernity emits its enticing, though threatening whirr. Ambivalent about tradition when it tangles with rot and corruption, the writer and director is nonetheless affectionate toward the rituals of old when they care for nature and foster community. A moving lament for pastoral living, Omelia contadina (2020) casts a dignifying gaze on the countryside and its farmhands. Meanwhile, the short Four Roads (2020) is the serendipitous fruit of coming across some out-of-date film stock during lockdown. Rohrwacher calls on the camera&#8217;s zoom to act as an arm for her, reaching out to neighbors when she cannot. After receiving their words of hand-me-down wisdom, in the collaborative documentary Futura (2021), she surveys Italy&#8217;s adolescents for their visions of impending adulthood. Rohrwacher looks with tenderness to the past and hopefulness to the future. Watching her films, we are left with a different regard toward the world&#8212;warmer and empathetic, more inclined to experience delight.

In Search of Wonder: The Films of Alice Rohrwacher

IN SEARCH OF WONDER: THE FILMS OF ALICE ROHRWACHER

Alice Rohrwacher is a treasure of contemporary cinema. Coinciding with the theatrical release of her latest marvel, La chimera, we’re looking back to her previous films in partnership with the Centre Pompidou—whose own month-long celebration of the Italian auteur’s magical oeuvre is now underway.

Alice Rohrwacher is a treasure of contemporary cinema. Coinciding with the theatrical release of her latest marvel, La chimera, we&#8217;re looking back to her previous films in partnership with the Centre Pompidou&#8212;whose own month-long celebration of the Italian auteur&#8217;s magical oeuvre is now underway.