HERETIC. OUTCAST. GENIUS.

In 1610, Pope Paul V orders an investigator (Louis Garrel) to look into the case of Caravaggio (Riccardo Scamarcio), an artist whose paintings generate a lot of controversy. A more conventional biography than Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio (1986), one whose visual look at times tries to imitate the spotlight effect of Caravaggio’s paintings. However, having a loyal ”shadow” from the church examine the artist’s past is a dull idea, and Isabelle Huppert’s dubbed effort as Caravaggio’s patron doesn’t help.

2022-Italy-France. 120 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Michele Placido. Cinematography: Michele D’Attanasio. Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio (Michelangelo Merisi/Caravaggio), Louis Garrel (Shadow), Isabelle Huppert (Costanza Sforza Colonna), Micaela Ramazzotti, Lolita Chammah, Vinicio Marchioni.

Trivia: Original title: L’ombra di Caravaggio.