Exploring the concept of love, fear of death, and intricate human experiences can often lend themselves as perfect elements for a film's storyline. Maura Delpero, an Italian filmmaker, mastered this art in her film "Vermiglio," which unfolds in a remote Italian village during the dwindling days of World War II. Marking a significant moment, "Vermiglio" is the first Italian film directed by a woman submitted for the Oscars in nearly 20 years.
Delpero's story follows the aftermath of an outsider's arrival in the village, and subtly weaves the life stories of the villagers with the universal entanglement of love and death. The film combines panoramic Alpine vistas with interior scenes that evoke the claustrophobia of the locals facing an uncertain future amidst the cultural showdown brought upon by the war and rampage.
Shifting gears from her earlier work in documentaries, Delpero strives to explore the boundaries between fiction and reality in "Vermiglio," which won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and a Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. But beyond the awards, the film symbolizes the exploration of a small community's struggle with change. This is embodied by Lucia, the village's eldest daughter, who reluctantly falls in love with the outsider, Pietro, and becomes the focal point of the village's undulating dynamics of acceptance and rejection.
While dissecting the character arcs, Delpero navigates through the interconnected facets of sisterhood and queerness in the past and the societal norms that leave a lasting impact on the individuals. The filmmaker's intense exploration of the village's sonic and visual texture and her emphasis on the influence of the bed as a symbol of familial bonds and its role in shaping a person's life further enhances the depth of the narrative.
The radical nature of sexuality, the acceptance of intimate secrets, and the evolution of developing relationships in traditional societies are emphasized in "Vermiglio." When interviewed, Delpero referred to Emily Dickinson's phrase, "Silent volcano," to describe the film's essence – what appears as dormant on the surface reflects an intense underlying turmoil. In "Vermiglio," the viewer must decipher this subliminal message to understand the story's evolution.
Inspired by female filmmakers like Jane Campion, Chantal Akerman, and Agnès Varda, Delpero participates in advancing the vanguard of women in the film industry. Her previously cherished dream of working on cinema evolved into a role of prominence, highlighting the increasingly relevant narrative about gender representation in the world of film. From her own experiences, Delpero hopes to inspire a new generation of female filmmakers.
