Family life in a small Italian village speaks loudly in Vermiglio, which has started to receive a lot of attention during the awards season. Ever since its premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival — where it won the Grand Jury Prize — this film has been quickly making a name for itself. Recently, it has been nominated for Best International Feature Film as the official Italian entry at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards and has received similar category nominations for the upcoming Golden Globes Awards, as well.
The word has definitely spread, and this film could be an industry dark horse as its global box office grows throughout the end of the year.
Just another day on the family farm begins earnestly, as this tight-knit family of 10 works quietly to prepare a meal. They eat silently. They walk outside without a word, but once the dialogue finally starts after five and a half minutes of noiselessness, the main storyline develops.
The year is 1944 and two WWII deserters have arrived: One is a local and another is from Sicily. Because this is a remote mountain setting, their secret is kept, for now, but there are subtle threats of German retaliations. Slowly but surely, the deserters escape from hiding in a nearby barn and begin afresh small-town life.
Revolving around the school, church and farm… it’s all these people have. So, when a fresh face shows up full of mystery and wonder, it’s only natural that the family’s oldest daughter, Lucia (played by Martina Scrinzi) would quickly take notice. Hailing from Sicily, the silence of Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico) is instantly deafening. While appearing to share the sentiment, it seems like he must re-learn the entire Italian language before speaking a word. Once he reaches that pinnacle, he becomes a different person entirely, but still quite shy.
“Men who come back from the war have secrets… it’s like their tongue has been cut off.”
A whirlwind romance ensues, all the while drama has been brewing within the family. The younger daughter will soon move onto boarding school, the middle daughter’s ashamed of her sinning and feels like no one listens to her, the eldest son doesn’t seem very responsible (and can’t wait to drink wine), and the gruff patriarch of the family uses sparse family funds to purchase records to play at the schoolhouse instead of focusing on feeding the crew — needless to say his communication skills aren’t the greatest.
As a topper, both Lucia and her mother are simultaneously pregnant. Could any more conflicts burden this group? How about the mysterious disappearance of Lucia’s newly married husband?
Visually stunning, Writer-Director Maura Delpero presents multiple complications for this household in Vermiglio. At times it feels like the bickering is the main focus of this film — and all too familiar. Other times, just when you expect a character to make a move… they don’t. The storyline is sometimes frustrating, but reading subtitles is never an issue. By the time societal shame works its way into the story, the emotions develop.
As Lucia, Scrinzi has the most to work with, in terms of character development. The speed at which her transition from naive teen, to marriage, to widow and mother is dramatic. It’s enough to make anybody dizzy, for sure. But she does it seamlessly. Her pain is obvious, if not overtly spoken. Because of this, Lucia is the strongest character, here.
Vermiglio features lots of religious symbolism, which clashes with its secular storyline. It’s depressing. At times, it can be sad. But it’s a great example of life. I found it interesting that some of the film’s story is inspired by Delpero’s own family, which makes when sense focusing so much on the details of this deeply personal tale.
I’m always interested in learning about the cinematic excellence of other countries around the world. Family ties bind this one for Italy, which should feel familiar for people of all nations. Unfortunately, you can’t pick your parents or your siblings, but you can choose to watch this cinematic experience, and I encourage everyone to give it a chance.
“If only they were all cowards; there would be no more wars.”