Hello and welcome back to another weekly movie and TV review. We find ourselves in the relaxed countryside of Italy as we follow Arthur, the Englishman, aka Josh O’Connor, and the traveling minstrels who sing of his eventual death.

La Chimera, starring O’Connor, was definitely unique, but its themes of death and lost things brought The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie to mind. In telling Arthur’s tale of woe, the singing duo serenades both the cast and the movie-viewing audience of The Poor Tombaroli – The Adventures of Arthur and the Dowser, similar to how The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie plays with form and audience awareness. With that being said, let’s get itttttt!

The film opens and we’re greeted by Beniamina, Arthur’s dearly departed, who haunts his every sleeping hour. We then unearth the fact that Arthur is on a train ride home, as he is a freshly sprung convict. Get it? Unearthed — because our friend is an archaeologist. Though his digs aren’t the least bit legal, let alone ethical. Turns out his comrades-in-arms left him for dead at a recent dig, and la polizia, so helpfully, picked him up. Arthur is blessed (or cursed) with supernatural artifact-detector powers, and his chosen instrument to channel his gift is a two-pronged branch.

That strange gift makes his return to Flora’s house even more interesting. Flora, Beniamina’s mother, didn’t seem to be in her right mind. She was heartsick, refusing to accept Beniamina’s death, and instead relying on the prowess of a medium who finds dead people’s things. Strangely, isn’t that kind of an admission that on some level she believes she’s dead? Further, the daughters had just cause to worry; Arthur and Italia were sponging off her. Flora did need around-the-clock help, but I didn’t care for the way her daughters went about it.

Italia, the student-servant, came to Flora under the guise of learning the fine art of opera singing, but in reality she was seeking shelter for herself and her two children. I find it hard to believe that Flora didn’t know there were extra occupants in the house, namely a baby. When questioned about the deception, she replied, “old.” In my mind, Italia brought much-needed life back into the house. They had a tacit agreement: Italia didn’t ask for money for her cleaning-lady services, and Flora had company for her lonely soul.

Even if Arthur and Beniamina were lovers in life, he has only managed to find artifacts left behind by the dead. If someone told me they had the power to find anything connected to the dead — and the power to prove it — I’d run the other way in a hurry. But that’s just me. Lol.

Then there’s Spartaco, the floating head who purchases all of Arthur and company’s findings — and spoiler alert: Spartaco is a business-savvy woman. I can’t be blamed too much for assuming our Sparring Taco was a man. The name sounds very masculine, even by today’s standards where gender is so fluid. (Or maybe the name is pretty common among Italians and I’m just an unwashed foreigner with little education and etiquette — you let me know in the comments.)

Whatever the case, the name is misleading, and maybe she did it intentionally to throw off those who might try to cheat her out of a bargain because she is a woman. Or maybe I’m thinking too deeply about this, lol. I don’t know.

Anypoops, I give the film a fresh rose. I’ve been too generous with them lately — somebody find me a terrible movie with an unoriginal plot. Lol.