Written and Directed by Jonas Carpignano
Starring Swamy Rotolo, Grecia Rotolo, and Claudio Rotolo
Runtime: 121 minutes
Premieres Oct. 2nd at NYFF

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Jonas Carpignano’s A Chiara, which is having its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival October 2, immerses viewers in the life of its title character (Swamy Rotolo), a middle-class 15-year-old in Calabria. This drama is an absorbing coming-of-age story, but not in the traditional sense; Chiara’s heartbreak doesn’t involve a boy her age, but, rather her father, Claudio (Claudio Rotolo), whom she adores.

The film follows Chiara in an almost-documentary fashion, which is Carpignano’s patented style. (He used the same approach in his short, Young Lions of Gypsy, which was the basis for his previous feature, A Ciambra, about Romani in Calabria.) Chiara is seen at the gym, at home, and with her friends in the film’s opening moments and the camera fixes on her young face. Carpignano is observing Chiara, admiring her, and scrutinizing her all at once—and he wants viewers to do the same. It is an effective approach because Rotolo, a non-professional acting alongside her real family members, is so expressive. When she smiles, her face lights up, but when she is angry, or wants to know something, her gaze is severe and penetrating.

A Chiara shows the family’s tight-knit bond in early scenes at home, or during an extended sequence, a birthday party for Chiara’s sister Giulia, who is turning 18. These moments are affectionate—particularly during an emotional exchange involving Claudio refusing to give a toast—but they are short lived. When the family car is torched, sending a message to Claudio, Chiara wants to know what is going on. “The less you know, the better,” is pretty much the response she receives—repeatedly—but Chiara refuses to listen. The headstrong teen is determined to find out the truth, especially after she sees a report on the internet and learns that her father is a fugitive from the law, accused of drug trafficking and other crimes.

Chiara’s quest involves her discovering a bunker in her home (she spied some activity the night her father left) and finding a burner phone, which leads her to Antonio (Antonio Rotolo Uno). He tries to stop Chiara from learning more, but she persists. Chiara also fights with her sister Giulia, who won’t answer questions about their family. (Again, “The less you know, the better.”) And Chiara also has a conflict with her mother, Carmela, who is trying to care for and protect her family under already stressful circumstances. These scenes are all compelling because as much as Chiara wants to know the truth—and feels she is old enough to handle it—there is tension about what she will discover and how it will impact her.

A Chiara eventually introduces the authorities who want to intervene in Chiara’s life and moving her to Urbino to live with an adoptive family in an effort to break the cycle of crime. Chiara is getting an opportunity to have “a moral life” and become “a good citizen,” but it is at the cost of being separated from the family she knows and loves. It is not a choice Chiara wants, and she resists, redoubling her efforts to confront her father about his “work.”

Carpignano makes all of this riveting. Even as the film shifts into “thriller” mode, a scene where Chiara meets and questions Claudio is exceptional, in part because she refuses to be treated like a child. What she learns influences her decisions at this pivotal moment in her life.

Swamy Rotolo’s naturalistic performance carries the film, and she reveals much about her character who is on screen in every scene. One of the most interesting episodes is an encounter Chiara has with a group of Romanis that involves firecrackers. She sizes up a tense situation and strikes back twice as hard. Rotolo is consistently assertive, which makes her appealing even when she crosses the line or makes a foolish or risky decision.

A Chiara completes Carpignano’s Calabria trilogy (it follows Mediterranea and the aforementioned A Ciambra). His films shine light on characters in difficult situations but they capture their humanity and resilience. The strength of the director’s work is that while his dramas pull at viewers’ heartstrings, the tone is more forceful and stimulating than sentimental or mawkish. As A Chiara ends with a toast at another birthday party for the title character, there is just cause for celebration.