“THE SIEGE OF PARADISE” // TRIBECA 2026

BY MATEO MORENO

The clash of locals versus tourists comes in full swing in the sharp new documentary THE SIEGE OF PARADISE. Director Gar O’Rourke invites us into Cinque Terre, a stunningly beautiful string of seaside villages in Italy. It’s a stunning retreat, with its endless sunshine and pastel painted homes. Because of the seclusion of the villages, it's even mostly carless. However, because of influencers and tourism in general, the number of tourists in recent years outnumber the residents there by about three million. Here we follow a few locals, an American influencer and the newly appointed Mayor Fabrizia Pecunia as they shift their lives throughout a summer in the region. Winemaker Bartalo Lerici and his wife Lise Bertram along with a restaurant owner and his daughter (Carmelo and Giorgia Verduci) represent the businesses here in this Italian town. Mayor Pecunia represents the governing of the town and balancing the peace that the locals need and the money that tourism generates to keep her villages thriving. And the American Influencer Grace Andrews (along with her friend Izabel Stewart) represent the millions of tourists every year who are more interested in taking a pretty picture for the ‘gram than learning about the culture here and appreciate the land that it all sits on.

The most captivating people, and the most touching moments, come from the locals, trying to put up with the flux of 4.000.000 tourists that overcrowd their lands without regard of the people who actually live there. The two American tourists are showcased as clueless, even if somewhat well meaning. And the hollowness of what an Influencer’s life actually is, is showcased very well with showing Grace film a “natural reaction” to someone over and over, walking through people simply trying to enjoy their day. At one point, Grace decided to stop taking pictures and says she just wants to “enjoy the moment.” Her friend Izabel laughs, saying she’s never said that in her life. Later, she even abandons Grace, leaving the influencer all along, just with her phone and her loneliness. The camera pans away from her, sitting in this beautiful place, with a drink in her hand and no one to share a moment with. It’s powerful and profoundly sad. The restaurant owner begrudgingly accepts that he needs the tourists but wishes it was all different. The Winemaker grits his teeth as he gives wine tasting to those who have absolutely no interest in it other than a “post.” And we see the Mayor’s frustrations of not being able to control the overflow of tourists and protect the sanity of her people better.

With locals literally saying, “All these fucking people” with tourists walking right by them, the film seems to be saying exactly what we’re feeling: It’s just all too much. The little moments are gone, the appreciation is gone and replaced by the false sense of showing everyone you’re having a good time instead of actually, well, having a good time. The cinematography by Lukas Gut (who won “Special Jury Mention for Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature” at the festival this week) is lush and gorgeous, capturing the beauty of this place, making it all the worse that we can see it from a theatre screen far away yet those standing on it mostly cannot. It’s a harrowing, and defining alarm for us to take a step back, protect our peace and start living back in the moment. And often, that moment is just for us.

GRADE: A-

DIRECTED BY Gar O’Rourke FEATURING Bartalo Lerici, Lisa Bertram, Carmelo Verduci, Giorgia Verduci, Babrizia Pecunia, Grace Andrews, Izabel Stewart FEATURED AS PART OF THE 2026 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO:https://tribecafilm.com/films/siege-of-paradise-2026