The Wonders

Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, director Alice Rohrwacher's semi-autobiographical story about beekeeping smallholders on the border of Umbria-Lazio and Tuscany is, refreshingly, not a sentimental hymn to peasant culture, although a debate simmers throughout between the characters about tradition versus modernity. The family of teenage protagonist Gelsomina (Maria Alexandra Lungu) aren't sons of the soil who can trace their local roots back for generations but a tribe of quasi-hippy urban transplants: mum (played by the director's sister Alba Rohrwacher) is from another part of Italy and dad (Sam Louwyck) is German. They've come seeking an idealistic, self-sufficient lifestyle but find themselves butting heads with EU regulations and pesticide-using neighbours, while their own kids long to take part in a tacky reality-TV show fronted by Monica Bellucci's showgirl hostess. The drama is a bit episodic, but the performances are nuanced, and there's a lot of incisive observation about family dynamics, as well as bonus tips on beekeeping.