Alice Rohrwacher (Alice Rohrwacher) is the sister of Alba Rohrwacher (Alba Rohrwacher), who won the Golden Lion Award for Best Actress. The sisters were born in Florence, Italy, and their mother is Italian. My father is German. Alice Lorwacher is very talented. Her first feature film, "Holy Body," has already received widespread attention when it debuted in the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, and her second feature film, "Miracle," has won the jury. At the 71st Cannes Film Festival, Alice Lorwacher made a strong comeback with her third feature film, "Happy Lazzaro".
"Happy Lazzaro" is divided into two parts. The first half of the story is all centered on a small town called Inviolata, where the peasants have been isolated for a long time and are obsessed with the town's ruler, the Marchesa Alfonsina de Luna. Lazaro is one of the young farmers who live in poverty. One day, Tancredi, the arrogant son of the marquise, directed and acted in a kidnapping case, forcing his mother to pay. Tancredi felt isolated and helpless, so he exchanged his friendship for Lazaro's assistance. Lazaro was so moved that he did not hesitate to repay Tancredi with everything he had. Just as the kidnapping scene was in full swing, a maid in the Marquis House called the police. The arrival of the police broke the tranquility of the town; it turned out that the Marquise was illegally imprisoning these farmers! So the marquise was sentenced, the story went viral and shocked everyone, and the peasants, with the help of the police, left the town that bound them. This is the end of agricultural civilization. People know nothing about modernization. The entire world view is based on the marquise's dictation. The history of Italy has been transformed into small villages. The class contradictions in feudal society are obvious, and the ruling class is particularly ugly.
The second half of the story is a modern version of The Peach Blossom Land. Twenty-six peasants left the town and came to the city, waiting for them to be free and modern, but because they do not have the skills to survive in modern society, a few For ten years, he was unable to integrate into mainstream society, and he had no choice but to become a marginalized group. Different from the fairy tale of the stagnant society in "The Story of the Peach Blossom", "Happy Lazzaro" incorporates more sociological thinking. Alice Lorwacher overlaps time and space, and the small-town peasant group is more like an immigrant group that moved from an underdeveloped society to a liberal and democratic developed society. The director also said in the interview that Italy, like other Western countries, is full of fear of new immigrants, who may be refugees from other countries or rural people moving to cities. Population migration has always been a major sociological issue, and the resettlement of new immigrants may affect the entire society, which inevitably inspires people to rethink the structure of modern society. Crimes are often brewing among marginalized groups, from petty theft to terrorist attacks. The director declares once more that modern society is built.
In this film, magic and reality are combined, which is the inheritance of history. In Italy, myth and reality always go hand in hand. The story incorporates a lot of discussion of faith. Lazaro's miracles have always been the director's wish. She wants to travel back in time and space to find the truth about history. The individual happiness of Lazaro is not the director's main concern. What the film wants to discuss is the group's happiness. Lazaro's character is a symbol of purity in the film. The wolf that appears from time to time is the incarnation of Lazaro in the movie, walking backwards in the car array of modern society without a sense of belonging.
"The Happy Lazzaro" is a political fable, an unexpected fairy tale, and a summary of fifty years of Italian history. The director used 16mm film to capture the simplicity and tranquility of Italy, like an idyllic pastoral. Many reporters and film critics have seen the shadows of Fellini and Pasolini in Alice Lorwacher's images. The director also said at the press conference that the light and shadow of the sages are melted in the blood, subconsciously leading her forward. Both the theme and the judges of this Cannes Film Festival are dominated by women. Among the three female directors in the main competition list, Alice Lorwacher has the best qualifications. "Happy Lazzaro" is not only present. It is far ahead in the ranking of the magazine, and has won unanimous praise from Chinese and foreign reporters. It is the seeded player with the most awards.
Phoenix.com score: 8 points.
Foreign media comments
With Lazzaro Happy, Alice Lorwacher brings to Cannes an allegorical tale of magic and realism. The film was shot on a super 16 cm negative, which seemed to give the film a dark brown color, which at first looks very nostalgic and warm, but slowly, you will find that it is actually more like the color of decay.
Gwilym Mumford, The Guardian
Magic has always been an object that is difficult to accurately describe in film and television work. Many times, some audiences will be amazed, but some audiences will think it is not worth mentioning. Italian director Lora Wacher shuttles back and forth between the real world and the magical world in this leisurely-paced film, which is destined to make half the audience fall in love with it, while the other half of the audience who don't like magic scratch their heads.
—Steve Pond, "The Wrap"
Modernism, folklore, and fables make Lazzaro a Bliss feel like a crazy mix of styles and colors. Its Pinocchio-like logic and narrative were initially puzzling, but became more and more fascinating as the story progressed.
--Jonathan Romney, Screen International
Alice Lorwacher's "Happy Lazzaro" is full of wisdom and ambition, coupled with the allegory that transcends time and space and the dialectical criticism of the current society, making it a slow-moving but gradually entering film. Jiajing's work
—Guy Lodge "Variety"
Magical realism seems to be an especially popular theme at this year's Cannes Film Festival. And this has always been Lorwacher's favorite theme. But in "Happy Lazaro," she takes her genius to the next level. This is her best work to date and one of the best at Cannes this year.
—Erik Anderson, "Awards Watch"
View more about Happy as Lazzaro reviews
