In the secluded corners of the majestic mountain landscapes, the village of Vermiglio remains largely shielded from the volatile atmosphere of the Second World War. On the threshold of long-awaited world peace, the village loses its tranquillity with the arrival of a young deserter.
Lucia, the daughter of the village’s leading figure, teacher Cesare Graziadei, falls in love with the deserter, Pietro. The flame of love ignites quickly, and the couple soon marries. Everything seems blissful—until Pietro must leave.
Children and mothers were central to Maura Delpero’s previous films Nadea and Sveta (2012) and Maternal (2019), but in her latest work, Delpero delves even deeper into the themes of womanhood and the question of a woman’s place in the world. The fresh mountain air and the expansive, ever-present sky create the illusion of personal freedom, yet all the Graziadei sisters struggle under the tightly drawn corset of desire, religion, and tradition. Who among them is bold enough to forge her own path?
Delpero powerfully channels her vision through the stylistic legacy of the late director Ermanno Olmi, particularly his portrayal of the timeless Italian mountain landscape. The soundtrack features fellow Italian Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, evoking both timelessness and the cyclical nature of life. Delpero’s film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and was also a Golden Globe nominee.
Otto Kylmälä