Le Quattro Volte Review

Exquisitely photographed by Andrea Locatelli, this meditation on everyday life in rural Calabria is simply captivating. Michelangelo Frammartino’s theme is Pythagoras’ theory of the indivisibility of animal, vegetable and mineral. But don’t be intimidated — this is a sublime celebration of the circle of life. Adopting a quasi-documentary style that enables him to meld observation with imagination, Frammartino muses on faith, superstition, nature and tradition, while also capturing the essence of a tightly knit community. The result is the most beautiful film about the changing seasons since Georges Rouquier’s Farrebique (1946). But, with goats invading the Good Friday procession, this is as amusing as it is inspiring