Must be something to do with the time of year, but there’s suddenly a glut – well, in Italian terms, in reality it’s more of a trickle – of Italian films that offer something beyond the normal comedy froth. In this case, it’s a new horror / thriller called Native, directed by one John Real (a curiously old fashioned pseudonym for Giovanni Marzagalli). The plot goes like this:
Michela is a young doctor. After many years away from her hometown she decides to return to take up her dream job as director of a hospital. But she has to come to terms with her past, and most particularly with ‘something’ that lies deep within her unconsciousness and that ties her there. She is plagued by a ‘native’, a charming woman with supoernatural powers, and it seems that not everybody around her is what they seem…
This was shot in Sicily by an inexperienced cast and crew and vaguely based on a local folk tale. Marzagalli, for instance, is only twenty four years old, and there aren’t any performers who most people are likely to be familiar with. The budget was about €1 million, but it’s picked up a few rewards at the Italian Golden Globes and was released to 32 cinemas.
I can’t find any reviews just yet, but here’s the Italian language trailer: