Rohrwacher's talent lies all in striking the almost unattainable balance between reality and fantasy, as all her movies have a weird, magnetic charme, feeling as they were somehow suspended in the void.
It is a delicate equilibrium of the untold and the explicit, the crude realism of a poor family's farm life and some dreamlike (or nightmarelike) elements (like the TV contest or the camel).
What is left of this almost plot-less movie is a sensation of mistery and marvel, as the lives of the characters do not call for any judgement, but just for attention and careful observation.
And like mere observers, we are challenged to deal with the apparent lack of sense and of right and wrong by simply taking events at face value. Something the protagonists seem to be doing anyway.
Nevertheless, the movie still feels a bit unfinished. If some moments reach impressive peaks of poetic marvel (the tiny "show" during the TV contest, the sleepover by the campfire on the island or the lids of beehives flying off), in other sections the movie feels flat and lacking of coherence, both in style and in narrative purpose.
There is no director like Rohrwacher at this point. No one is sensitive, intelligent and reckless enough to investigate this perspective. But in order for the movies to be actually enjoyable, much work is still needed, especially with regards to style, pace of narration and overall coherence.
It is a delicate equilibrium of the untold and the explicit, the crude realism of a poor family's farm life and some dreamlike (or nightmarelike) elements (like the TV contest or the camel).
What is left of this almost plot-less movie is a sensation of mistery and marvel, as the lives of the characters do not call for any judgement, but just for attention and careful observation.
And like mere observers, we are challenged to deal with the apparent lack of sense and of right and wrong by simply taking events at face value. Something the protagonists seem to be doing anyway.
Nevertheless, the movie still feels a bit unfinished. If some moments reach impressive peaks of poetic marvel (the tiny "show" during the TV contest, the sleepover by the campfire on the island or the lids of beehives flying off), in other sections the movie feels flat and lacking of coherence, both in style and in narrative purpose.
There is no director like Rohrwacher at this point. No one is sensitive, intelligent and reckless enough to investigate this perspective. But in order for the movies to be actually enjoyable, much work is still needed, especially with regards to style, pace of narration and overall coherence.