The lush and breathtaking beauty of the Alps, shot with painterly grace under natural light from freezing winter to salutary spring, provides the physical and emotional backdrop for ‘Vermiglio,’ Maura Delper’s visionary film, winner of the Silver Lion at the 2024 Venice Film Festival
Set in the small mountain village of Vermiglio during the waning days of World War II, this unique portrait of an extended family follows a series of dramatic aftermath events following the arrival of a taciturn Sicilian soldier (Giuseppe De Domenico) who has taken refuge in the town after deserting the army
There, the soldier develops a romance with the family’s eldest daughter, Lucia (Martina Scrinzi)
‘Vermiglio’ shows the life of a provincial family in a remote village suspended in time by the customs of a fading era
By conjuring up stories from her own family’s past, Delpero has created a deeply personal and human story that recalls the great neorealist movement in Italian cinema, but through Lucia’s perspective, ‘Vermiglio’ feels distinctive and new
