La Scala: The Force of Destiny

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https://italianfilmfestival.com.au/films/iff26-la-scala-the-force-of-destiny

Date Reviewed: 09/09/2026

When Timothée Chalamet naively made the comment back in February 2026 that “no one cares” about opera anymore (amongst other performing arts, like ballet), little did he know it is an industry that continues to attract audiences around the world and is not slowing down anytime soon (in fact, I think I’ve only seen more support for opera and ballet since he made the comment). To me, opera is a beautiful, sung, lavish performing art; just as opulent as the theatres that house those performances. One of the most famous opera houses in the world is Teatro alla Scala (herein referred to as La Scala Theatre).

La Scala was built in Milan, Italy, in the Neoclassical style and opened in 1778. Each year the opera season begins with ‘La Prima’ (translation: ‘the first’), the glamorous opening night. It occurs on 7 December, which is the feast day of St Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan. In La Scala: The Force of Destiny, we follow the journey of the preparations for La Prima in 2024, and the performance of Verdi’s opera The Force of Destiny.

The Force of Destiny originally premiered in St Petersburg in 1862. Verdi later substantially revised the opera, with the version now generally performed premiering at La Scala in 1869, conducted by Verdi himself. It has been performed several times at La Scala since, but its selection to open the 2024/25 season was particularly significant, as it was only the second time The Force of Destiny had been chosen to open a La Scala season. That high-profile production is captured in this documentary.

I say all the above, not because it was explicitly included in the film, but because the history and context make the film richer. I do believe this documentary, directed by Anissa Bonnefont, assumes the viewer knows the context already. The viewer is an opera-lover. This is great if true, but if not, you could be left rather underwhelmed. By doing this, I wouldn’t say it’s inclusive and trying to attract a new audience. This may very well be intentional, but if not, then an opportunity has been missed.

While the film gives amazing insight into what goes on backstage, it was, for me, very one note. Not necessarily a bad note, just one note. The snippets were a little too choppy for me to follow easily, and I was grateful for the countdown to the performance night, 7 December, for otherwise I would’ve struggled a little with the flow. Again, this very well may have been the intention, in which case it succeeded. It made you feel like you were just a fly in the room. There were no conventional talking-head interviews with the cast or anything directly engaging the viewer. And I think that is the part that is lacking for my personal preference: the connection. The inclusion.

Reviewed by Juliet Morelli