Maybe the most exquisite film I saw at the Gothenburg Film Festival. It has stayed with me, in my heart and mind, just for its stunning emotional force. I find myself longing to see it again, also because there is so much detail from faces and events to take in. The film transports us into another time and place in a quiet and powerful manner with magnificent landscapes and great, natural acting.

Maura Delpero was born in Bolzano and this north-Italian, mountainous environment is her family background. She tells in an interview how the idea of making this film came to her when she was in mourning after her father’s death. In her dream he came to her as a little boy and he was a happy kid. That gave her the freedom to tell this deeply personal story. Her father was born into a ten kids family in Vermiglio. To internally visualize the story and place, she spent much spontaneous time with people in Vermiglio and around.

The film brings us back to 1944 and to this remote mountain village of Vermiglio. Life in this village is pretty isolated, but there is the backdrop of the war. One day a deserted soldier who is from Sicily, arrives in the village and is taken in by the family of the local schoolmaster who has three daughters. Their struggles with daily realities, their opportunities and the limitations of living in this small community is shown in a tender, intimate portrait.

The film is placed in a time and place where people understood that nature was bigger than them. The camera switches from impressive Alpine nature impressions to intimate facial expressions of these mountain people who know their dependence of nature. It also makes you think about the family stories that are hidden, sometimes never talked about, in virtually every family. It also made me think about what we have won and what we have lost in the transition of a strongly collective small community to the individual freedom and realization that we so highly think of in our time.

A remarkable film, this winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Festival 2024! Go and see it!

Rinus Baljeu. March 2025

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