A Chiara
“A Chiara” is the third film of a trilogy which has writer-director Jonas Carpignano exploring modern life in Calabria. I have not seen the previous two films, but you do not need to in order to appreciate “A Chiara,” or get sucked into the world of its main character. Whether you’ll feel that way about the ending or not is another matter, but as a story of life in a complicated world, it very much remains a rich experience.
Chiara (Swamy Rotolo, in a captivating performance) is a 15-year-old girl whose older sister, Giulla (Grecia Rotolo), is turning 18. They have a friendly competition, as all siblings do, that extends to the dance competition during Giulla’s birthday party. Chiara is growing up quick, though, and the world around her is starting to get more interesting; she starts smoking and rebelling, not really thinking about the consequences. One day, a car explodes, and her father goes missing. Did her father have anything to do with it? Some clues she finds has her asking questions her family isn’t really ready to answer.
At a certain point, Chiara’s journey of discovery becomes hers and hers alone. When the news and social media shows her one portrait of her father, it’s difficult for her to accept what her family wants her to think. Teenage rebellions begin to occur, and- when they threaten to put her into the system as an orphan (seemingly as a way of curbing the criminal influence her family would have on her)- she finds herself on her own, going places she probably is not prepared for. This section of the film is the strongest, although everything leading up to the disappearance is compelling, as well. Carpignano is doing a different type of coming-of-age here, not about the nature of being a teenager, but what it’s like when we first start to realize just how complicated both the adult world is, but how our parents are. This is where “A Chiara” succeeds, and even if it all comes to an ending that jars us out of that reality, it still has something to say about the ideas the film has trafficked in- namely, sometimes, we shouldn’t be too quick to grow up.
