This film is part of Rentals
Happy as Lazzaro
Alice Rohrwacher follows The Wonders with a delightfully singular, time and genre-bending rumination on the fate of innocence when faced with corruption and greed.
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Overview
Lazzaro is a beautiful peasant whose sweet nature finds people mistaking him for simple-minded – happily doing the bidding of anyone in his local village. An insular community, the village is ruled over by the Cruella-esque Marchesa who hasn’t let on that sharecropping is no longer legal. Set apart from the world by a bridge that no one can be bothered to fix, life here looks like it is unfolding a century ago, save for the odd Walkman and 1990s-era dance music. Lazzaro finds an unlikely friend in the Marchesa’s petulant, bleach-blonde son Tancredi, who convinces his hapless ally to help him stage his fake kidnapping to steal the ransom from his loathed mother. But their plans are soon derailed.
Working again with Hélène Louvart and shooting on lustrous 16mm, Rohrwacher concocts a trippy brew of Italian class struggle, folk tales, biblical allegory, pop culture references and a rich vein in cinema history. (There are echoes of Pasolini, Jarman and Fellini in terms of theme and the film’s anarchic style.) Rohrwacher deservedly shared the Best Screenplay award at Cannes for this kaleidoscopic work; like any gem, hold it up to the light and you’ll see something different each time.
Related
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
The Goldman Case The Goldman Case
Drama 2023 116 mins Director: Cédric Kahn
Gripping courtroom drama based on the explosive 1976 murder trial of French political activist, Pierre Goldman.
In Camera In Camera
Drama 2024 95 mins Director: Naqqash Khalid
A struggling actor faces relentless knockbacks in Naqqash Khalid’s sharp-witted comment on race and identity in the film industry.
Kneecap Kneecap
Drama 2024 105 mins Director: Rich Peppiatt
Fantastically outlandish biopic about the anarchic Belfast rap trio and their fight to save the Irish language.
The Rider The Rider
Drama 2017 103 mins Director: Chloé Zhao
Chloé Zhao's luminous and enthralling study of a young South Dakotan cowboy’s struggle following a rodeo injury.
The Nightingale The Nightingale
Period drama 2018 136 mins Director: Jennifer Kent
A young Irish convict enlists the help of an Aboriginal tracker in her quest for vengeance, in this ferociously powerful revenge drama from Jennifer Kent (The Babadook).
Long Day's Journey Into Night Long Day's Journey Into Night
Drama 2018 138 mins Director: Bi Gan
Bi Gan's ‘destroyed film noir' is a dazzling dive into an immersive dreamscape.
Saint Maud Saint Maud
Drama 2019 81 mins Director: Rose Glass
A mysterious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient in director Rose Glass’ divine debut.
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
Drama 2021 121 mins Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
A triptych of charming romantic mishaps from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, director of the Oscar and Bafta-nominated Drive My Car.
Drive My Car Drive My Car
Drama 2021 179 mins Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s short story, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi takes us on an unpredictable and self-revelatory journey in this serene yet riveting Oscar-winning drama.
La Chimera La Chimera
Action and Adventure 2023 132 mins Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Alice Rohrwacher’s fascinating new drama finds Josh O’Connor’s fish out of water delving into the world of stolen artefacts.
Futura Futura
Documentary 2021 108 mins Director: Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi and Alice Rohrwacher
A documentary about the future, through the eyes of Italy’s youth – collectively written and directed by Pietro Marcello (Martin Eden), Francesco Munzi (Black Souls) and Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro).
The Wonders The Wonders
Drama 2014 111 mins Director: Alice Rohrwacher
An enchanting, otherworldly coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl who enters her unwilling family into a TV talent show.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.