Film Review: The Girl in the Fog (La ragazza nella nebbia, 2017)
Of all genres, modern trends in global cinema may have had the worst effect on crime films. On one hand, they are too 'commercial' for art snobs chasing festival awards, while on the other, they are either too simplistic or demand excessive intellectual effort from the kind of audience an average producer is willing to invest truly substantial money into. As a result, crime films have more or less been banished to television, where they have significantly contributed to its golden age through various formats. Among the rare examples where a quality crime film can still be seen on the big screen, non-Hollywood cinemas deserve the most credit, including Italian cinema, whose film The Girl in the Fog was one of 2017’s hits.
The film is based on Donato Carrisi’s eponymous novel, written by an exceptionally praised and awarded crime author who can also boast versatility—namely his professional qualifications as a lawyer and criminologist. Carrisi has leveraged this versatility to try his hand as both screenwriter and director in the adaptation of his novel. The story is set in Avechot, a fictional town in the Italian Alps, whose daily life is disrupted by the disappearance of Anne Lou (Ekaterina Buscemi), a 16-year-old girl from a family that, like many of her neighbours, belongs to an ultra-conservative Christian community. The local police are convinced she has run away from home, as many teenagers in similar situations do. However, Inspector Vogel (Toni Servillo), an experienced investigator brought in as expert assistance, quickly concludes this is a crime. Vogel is convinced the perpetrator is someone from the village—an exceptionally intelligent and calculating individual who meticulously planned the abduction and murder over a long period. Nevertheless, Vogel is equally certain he will unmask the criminal, employing any means necessary, whether through shameless media manipulation or actions beyond the law. Thus begins a complex and prolonged battle of wits, during which Vogel and his team will uncover numerous long-hidden secrets and encounter many surprises.
The Girl in the Fog can be characterised as one of today’s rare examples of a genre-pure crime film, an achievement that can be described as 'old-school' in the best sense of the phrase. Although the setting and its inhabitants may seem exotic at first glance, Carrisi’s film avoids cheap, pseudo-social engagement, and even the theme of modern media manipulation serves merely as a vehicle for crafting a relatively straightforward story of a battle of wits between a master criminal and a master detective. Both characters are far from perfect and make mistakes that humanise them for the audience, even without emphasis on their private lives. Carrisi has proven himself an excellent screenwriter, and for someone without prior experience, a very capable filmmaker who handles flashbacks and non-linear narrative with ease—techniques that would confuse even his far more experienced colleagues. The result is a surprisingly good film that holds the viewer’s attention from start to finish and never feels overly stretched despite its two-hour runtime. Carrisi skilfully works within relatively limited resources, and the film functions well without international stars (with the possible exception of Jean Reno in a small but unusual role as a psychiatrist, or the almost unrecognisable Greta Scacchi). The relatively unknown cast leaves a strong impression, whether it’s Servillo (whose most notable role to date was in Gomorrah), Galatea Ranzi as a ruthless journalist, or Alessio Boni, who resembles a younger Vincent Cassel. Those who look for it may find traces of earlier works in The Girl in the Fog, be it the works of Friedrich Dürrenmatt or Alfred Hitchcock, or more contemporary pieces like Twin Peaks or Wild Things, but none of these influences are overly intrusive, allowing Carrisi’s film to be regarded as an original, even auteur work. This is especially evident in the plot twists, which even the most attentive viewers will struggle to predict. Although the ending feels somewhat 'forced,' giving the impression that one twist too many was used, this does not significantly detract from the overall impression of The Girl in the Fog as one of the more pleasant surprises in cinema offerings of its time.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)
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