Cert: 15A

A Chiara

Chiara, the 15-year-old daughter of the affluent family (all played by Rotolo’s real-life family) lives an idyllic life in the Calabrian city of Gioia Tauro, a small town closely associated with the province’s criminal organisations.

When her father suddenly disappears, Chiara tries to find him, gradually discovering that her family’s ties to the local crime world are more troubling than she thought. As she gets closer to the truth, Chiara is forced to decide what she wants to believe and ultimately what kind of future she wants for herself.

A Chiara is a compelling depiction of a young girl’s loss of innocence, and how the social fabric of a community has a determining effect on one’s moral compass.

Director: Jonas Carpignano

Festivals:

Venice Film Festival 2021

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2021

Cannes Film Festival 2021

Awards:

Winner: Europa Cinemas Label; Cannes Film Festival 2021

‘As Chiara, Rotolo’s face dominates the screen in closeup for much of the film, and she manages to look very young and yet very worldly wise at the same time. Another very impressive achievement from Carpignano’

★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

‘There’s so much naturalism to Carpignano’s direction that it’s easy to imagine this might be some reconstruction of real events... But for all its social-realist tendencies, A Chiara is told in a wonderfully fluid and poetic fashion, led by Tim Curtin’s photography and an emotive score from Dan Romer and, of all people, Beasts of the Southern Wild director Benh Zeitlin.’

Ed Frankl, The Film Stage

‘’Carpignano’s cast of non-professional actors is made up of the Rotolo family, and his ability to elicit such assured performances from them is especially remarkable with the added knowledge that they were working with a semi-improvised script. It’s an immaculate turn from Swamy Rotolo as she compellingly embodies both mature frustration and adolescent angst. ’

Marina Ashioti, Little White Lies

All listings subject to change/licence.