Abruzzo has its own Hobbits too

A new weekly instalment of Decoder, the Il Foglio column dedicated to pop culture, edited by Gianluca De Angelis. A guide to exploring new releases and classics, offering three recommendations each time from the worlds of comics, films, TV series and games. This week, however, there are exceptionally two recommendations, with a special feature entirely dedicated to and linked with the famous creatures created by J.R.R. Tolkien: the Hobbits, who only a few days ago celebrated ‘Hobbit Day’. 

From the world of comics, here is “Il grande potere del Chninkel”, written by Jean Van Hamme and illustrated by Grzegorz Rosiński, published in Italy by Editoriale Cosmo. The narrative unfolds in a fantastical world, somewhere between fantasy and science fiction, illuminated by two suns and ravaged by a seemingly endless war, where three immortal lords vie for dominion over the planet and where, amidst their battles, entire populations exist solely to fight, serve and die. Amongst them are the Chninkel: small, fragile beings reduced to slavery. One need only look at them to immediately sense a visual and narrative kinship with Tolkien’s Hobbits. This is a comic book strongly influenced by the aesthetics and imagery of the 1980s, yet one that retains a surprising modernity even today: a must-read, therefore, if you love Tolkien, but also if you’re looking for an original, surprising and somewhat unconventional take on fantasy.

For the audiovisual sector, this week’s recommendation is an Italian documentary that recounts a surprising story: “La mia Anima ha fretta”, directed by Giuseppe Contarino, a film that recounts the history of the Contea Gentile in Abruzzo and that of its founder, Nicolas Gentile. It is a journey that began with Nicolas’s diagnosis of leukaemia, his determination to make the most of the time he had left, and his love for Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, but which soon became much more: a place to celebrate, certainly, but above all a place to honour great shared values, including friendship, a love of nature and a rediscovery of the simple things in life. The documentary has already enjoyed significant success on the international festival circuit, winning multiple awards (including in Australia and Mexico), and is now seeking a distributor in Italy. The next major screening is scheduled during the 60th edition of Lucca Comics & Games. 

Two distinctive works that shed further light on the world of pop culture, featuring icons and popular myths that help us make sense of the present. Join us next week for Decoder, here on Il Foglio’s channels, for another trio of unmissable titles.