La ragazza del lago is a 2007 Italian thriller that has been doing very well at the domestic box office (in fact, it has recently re-entered the charts, even though it’s also now availbale on DVD). It’s not hard to see why, as it’s a classy, clever piece of filmmaking, with a literate script, high-class performances and good production values. Those hoping for a neo-giallo, though, may be disappointed: this is a slow, sombre film that has a lot more in common with the likes of Sorrentino’s The Consequences of Love and Salvatore’s I’m Not Afraid than with the work of Argento or Fulci. And it’s none the worse for that.
Set in Friuli, an Alpine region in North Italy, the story follows the discovery of the body of a young woman, Anna Nadel, found in a ‘sleeping’ pose beside a lake. There’s no evidence of sexual assault, and she appears to have put up little resistance to her attacker. There are a number of suspects: Mario (Franco Ravera), a simple farmhand who lives nearby; Roberto (Denis Fasolo), Anna’s boyfriend; Corrado (Fabrizio Gifuni), who Anna used to babysit for and was the last person to see her alive; and even Anna’s own father, Davide (Marco Baliani).
Investigating it all is Commissioner Sanzio (Toni Servillo), an experienced cop who is battling with his own problems: his wife is suffering from ealy Alzheimers and doesn’t even recognise him, and his daughter is suffering emotionally as a result.
This makes for a highly accomplished debut film from director Andrea Molaioli, who inject it all with a suitably stately pace and allows the characters to take centre stage. He’s helped no end by the cinematography of Ramiro Civita, who manages to make the whole thing look absolutely ravishing. The unusual settings help a lot as well: it’s absurdly beautiful, but with a slight sense of bleakness lingering just below the surface, which perfectly matches the rather sad circumstances that turn out to be at the heart of the mystery.
Toni Servillo has starred in some of the more interesting recent Italian films, including the aforementioned The Consequences of Love, and he’s excellent as the gloomy protagonist. Valeria Golino, who’s had the occasional brush with Hollywood (she starred in the Hot Shots comedies), has a touching part as Corrado’s ex-wife.
So, while La ragazza del lago may not be to the tastes of all giallo fans, it certainly stands as one of the best Italian thrillers of recent years, and is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in contemporary Italian cinema. The Italian DVD, thankfully, comes with English subtitles, as there’s no sign of this making it to the international markets as yet.
