'The Ann Lee Testament', a film that promises more than it delivers

However, it is almost solely in the formal aspect that the film succeeds in impressing, thanks to fascinating photographic choices and a series of isolated sequences: the fire scene, first and foremost, but also the choreography of the many dances present during the narrative are realised with evident care.

In spite of its powerful aesthetic apparatus, the film fails to intrigue as much as it should and, on the contrary, ends up causing the viewer to lose attention early on, due to its excessive length for the story it wants to tell (around 130 minutes) and a series of very obvious redundancies.

When the film was screened in competition at the last Venice Film Festival, Mona Fastvold had accompanied it by remarking how moved she was when it delved into Ann Lee's prophecies: 'Not because I share her faith, but because I recognise in her a desire for justice, transcendence and grace for all. Her radical quest for a utopia built with her own hands is a sign of the creative impulse at the heart of every artistic endeavour: the urgent need to reshape the world'.

This urgency of which the author speaks, however, is not conveyed within a story that runs the risk of being less than universal: it lacks the socio-political breath that was instead present in the previous 'The World to Come', and the film's appeal thus remains more in its intentions than in its actual delivery.

Something is undoubtedly effective during the viewing (Amanda Seyfried's good performance as the protagonist is also worth mentioning), but it is really too little to create interest around an operation that promises more than it delivers.

Among the new releases in the cinemas is a very interesting animated feature film, 'Arco', directed by Ugo Bienvenu.

Arco is a curious and resourceful ten-year-old boy who lives in a distant future where time travel is possible.

During his first test flight in a special rainbow suit, something goes wrong. Arco loses control and plummets into the year 2075. In the clear sky of that day, Iris, a girl of her age, sees a bright trail streaking across the horizon. It is Arco, who lands like coloured lightning. Intrigued, Iris catches up with him and discovers that the mysterious boy comes from a distant era.

A product full of creativity and imagination, 'Arco' is an original and engaging animated film, although there are a few narrative passages that risk being too cumbersome.

A few limitations in the script, however, do not detract from the charm of an intelligent and touching operation, deservedly nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film: it is very unlikely to win, but to be in the five-team shortlist is already a just reward.