The lush and stunning beauty of the Alps, filmed with painterly grace under natural light from freezing winter to redeeming spring, provides the physical and emotional backdrop for “Vermiglio,” Maura Delpero’s visionary film, which won the Silver Lion at the 2024 Venice Film Festival
Set in the small mountain village of Vermiglio during the final days of World War II, this unique portrait of a sprawling family follows a series of dramatic, consequential events following the arrival of a taciturn Sicilian soldier (Giuseppe De Domenico) after deserting the army
There, the soldier develops a romance with the family’s eldest daughter, Lucia (Martina Scrinzi)
“Vermiglio” depicts the life of a provincial family in a remote village frozen in time by the customs of a declining era
Conjuring stories from her own family’s past, Delpero creates a deeply personal and human story reminiscent of the great neorealist movement in Italian cinema, but from Lucia’s perspective, Vermiglio feels distinctive and novel
34/40