An Urban Allegory

«Allégorie citadine» is a short film by the great Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher, shot in France, in which she makes a film interpretation of the show «Chiroptera» by co-director JR, choreographer Damien Jalet and musician Thomas Bangalter, based on Plato's allegory of the cave, a dialogue included in his work «The Republic». Giving an original, unique and beautiful image to a reflection on what would happen if one of many men chained in a cave, who believe that shadows are reality, could go out and see "reality" outside, is not an easy task. However, Rohrwacher and JR create a fantastic story and at the same time propose an unique way of perceiving the real world.

A dancer rushes with her little son to auditions for a show inspired by Plato's allegory. When she arrives she meets the general assistant, who is hysterical because all the candidates came in tutus for a show with a totally contemporary and urban feel. The dancer has arrived very late, she begs, and the director (filmmaker Leos Carax) decides to give her a break and whispers the secret of the allegory to the kid (Naïm El Kaldaoui): what happened to the prisoner that left the cave. When rehearsals begin, the boy does exactly what the escaped prisoner did and begins an audiovisual poem in the streets illustrating this allegory of education versus ignorance. Do not miss it, the film only lasts 21 minutes and it is a rewarding experience.