Vermiglio
Vermiglio
1944, Vermiglio, a remote mountain village. The arrival of Pietro, a deserter, into the family of the local teacher, and his love for the teacher's eldest daughter, will change the course of everyone's life.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 1, 2025
Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio wonderfully depicts a family and their village in the dying days of WWII, capturing the rhythms of daily life and the ripple effects of taking in two deserters. The village serves a as a portrait of post-war Italy at large and Mikhail Krichman’s cinematography casts it in stunning frigid beauty. The ensemble cast, especially Martina Scrinzi as the eldest daughter Lucia and Rachele Potrich as the quietly conflicted middle sister Ada, give excellent performances. Their interactions with each other, their parents, and the deserters build a compelling web of personal and collective tensions.
That said, the deliberate pacing doesn’t always work in the film’s favor. While the layers of family dynamics and glimpses of wartime trauma are thoughtfully handled, the languid unfolding of events can feel more like a test of patience than a payoff. Vermiglio excels in painting a beautifully realized portrait but struggles to sustain its narrative momentum. Worth checking out if the mood strikes you, though.