A Chiara Review: Compelling Italian Drama Is Engaging
In the classic sense, A Chiara is not a coming-of-age film. Yes, it is framed through the eyes of its 15-year-old protagonist, but the film is not intended to follow her from childhood to (early) adulthood, no matter how hard she tries. Instead, writer-director Jonas Carpignano wants to investigate the topic of "coming of age." A Chiara quietly and compellingly makes the case for a minor's right to self-determination by revealing how easy it is for someone to be bound to a life they wouldn't have chosen for themselves, set in a social and familial structure that places great emphasis on the milestone of growing up to an increasingly sinister degree.
Chiara and her family gather to celebrate her sister Giulia's 18th birthday in this Italian-language drama set in Calabria's southern area. Later that night, when a car is bombed outside Chiara's house and she observes her father, Claudio, escaping on foot, the joyous atmosphere of speeches and dancing turns sour. Carmela is frustrated but undeterred when her daughter's mother dismisses her demand for explanations by telling her that she is too young to understand. When she discovers through the news that Claudio is wanted by the authorities in connection with the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia with deep roots in her region, she vows to track him down by doing the one thing that puts her in the most danger: asking questions.
What is it about A that is so clever? Chiara's take on the subject is that it never really tries to persuade the spectator that this girl's path will end in bloodshed. As she works to break down the criminal underworld's door, it becomes evident that the peril isn't to her body, but to her soul. Chiara is not an intruder; the answers she seeks will be freely provided to her if she waits until she is mature enough to understand them. It becomes evident, perhaps more swiftly for the audience than for Chiara, that what she's truly discovered is a look into her own future — at least the one her family has planned for her.
A Chiara becomes a fascinating watch until the dramatic question becomes whether this 15-year-old girl can escape her situation by pursuing the truth, and whether she'll even want to if she finds it.
Chiara and her family gather to celebrate her sister Giulia's 18th birthday in this Italian-language drama set in Calabria's southern area. Later that night, when a car is bombed outside Chiara's house and she observes her father, Claudio, escaping on foot, the joyous atmosphere of speeches and dancing turns sour. Carmela is frustrated but undeterred when her daughter's mother dismisses her demand for explanations by telling her that she is too young to understand. When she discovers through the news that Claudio is wanted by the authorities in connection with the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia with deep roots in her region, she vows to track him down by doing the one thing that puts her in the most danger: asking questions.
What is it about A that is so clever? Chiara's take on the subject is that it never really tries to persuade the spectator that this girl's path will end in bloodshed. As she works to break down the criminal underworld's door, it becomes evident that the peril isn't to her body, but to her soul. Chiara is not an intruder; the answers she seeks will be freely provided to her if she waits until she is mature enough to understand them. It becomes evident, perhaps more swiftly for the audience than for Chiara, that what she's truly discovered is a look into her own future — at least the one her family has planned for her.
A Chiara becomes a fascinating watch until the dramatic question becomes whether this 15-year-old girl can escape her situation by pursuing the truth, and whether she'll even want to if she finds it.