La Ragazza del lago (The Girl by the Lake) (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Toni Servillo, Denis Fasolo, Nello Mascia, Giulia Michelini, Marco Baliani, Fausto Maria Sciarappa, Franco Ravera Director: Andrea Molaioli Summary: Winner of 10 Donatello Awards, this intricate crime thriller follows inspector Giovanni Sanzio (Toni Servillo) as he leaves… More
  Cast: Toni Servillo, Denis Fasolo, Nello Mascia, Giulia Michelini, Marco Baliani, Fausto Maria Sciarappa, Franco Ravera Director: Andrea Molaioli Summary: Winner of 10 Donatello Awards, this intricate crime thriller follows inspector Giovanni Sanzio (Toni Servillo) as he leaves the big city behind to investigate the murder of a young woman in an alpine country village where startling secrets are buried. Nearing retirement and burdened with family problems, Sanzio is distracted at first but soon finds himself drawn deeper into the web of lies spread by villagers intent on concealing the truth. My Thoughts: "This is a more of a character driven murder mystery surrounding small town secrets. You will not get an action packed thriller. Toni Servillo does an amazing job carrying the film. He's a very strong lead. The film is beautifully done and well made. In the beginning the film is leading you in one direction and soon takes a sharp turn into an entirely different direction. I liked how it kind of throws you off. There is no dramatic ending, but the film didn't need one. I enjoyed the film and all the twists it brought."

• Aditya G

  
  It was a weekend well spent for me for having watched yet another hidden Italian gem that is "The Girl by the Lake". [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6JvgQoRSDLs/Tl-W4KO_RjI/AAAAAAAAB_0/N7wOeu0u_yQ/vlcsnap-2011-09-01-17h57m33s26.jpg[/img] Toni Servillo stars in… More
  It was a weekend well spent for me for having watched yet another hidden Italian gem that is "The Girl by the Lake". [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6JvgQoRSDLs/Tl-W4KO_RjI/AAAAAAAAB_0/N7wOeu0u_yQ/vlcsnap-2011-09-01-17h57m33s26.jpg[/img] Toni Servillo stars in this intriguing whodunit set in a picturesque, quiet little mountain village somewhere in Italy. The film opens with great promise of a finely crafted film, as we see a little girl named Marta walk down the road in her neighbourhood exchanging sweet hellos, when she is stopped midway by a man in a truck whom she calls Mario and seems to know well. What he says isn't audible to us, but she accompanies him in his truck and he drives away. [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4T14HhVzQFo/Tl-W4KuAcII/AAAAAAAAB_w/Z2jpligGHuI/vlcsnap-2011-09-01-17h59m54s160.jpg[/img] But there are other things happening elsewhere in this little obscure place that is sparsely populated and everyone seems to know every other person! So it is no surprise that everyone knows a beautiful girl in her late teens who turns up dead by the nearby lake. She is left there naked by her killer, but strangely enough there isn't much evidence of physical abuse on her body and she seems to have died of strangulation. Inspector Sanzio (Toni Servillo) starts pursuing the case with the assistance of his loyal fellow officers Alfredo and Lorenzo Siboldi. As he begins unearthing evidence based on his clues and starts rounding up suspects who all happen to be locals and those who have seen Anna alive not more than a few hours before her death, we also learn that the Inspector is dealing with some personal problems of his own. Battling his own personal demons, the inspector begins to realize that every one of his suspects has a secret which may or may not be directly related to Anna's death... [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sDt_q8cFsW4/Tl-W4E0t62I/AAAAAAAAB_s/uQbnfwWdwU0/vlcsnap-2011-09-01-19h49m09s166.jpg[/img] "The Girl in the Lake" is surprisingly overlooked, possibly because it had limited release outside of the Italy and only recently was released on DVD in the US by IFC Entertainment. It is a neatly made film and ensures it doesn't stray from its focal point, even though the proceedings are a tad slow. It steers clear of cheap gimmicks and instead relies on intricate characterization, slowly introducing us and getting us acquainted with all the individuals that Anna interacted with. Like any standard mystery, of course, there are red herrings, but not to the extent of seeming forced. The cinematography is spectacular as the camera pans and lingers on some of the most amazing locations you may have seen. Everything is so beautiful and cut away from the rest of the world, it will make you wanna go there on a weekend getaway trip! Adding to the merits of the fantastic camerawork is the fact that even the most ordinary scenes seem out of the ordinary as they are shot in a way as to please the viewer's eye! The film also avoids the use of gratuitous gruesomeness in the form of excess violence or nudity. In fact this is a surprisingly clean film as far as such 'visual' devices in a murder mystery are concerned. [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5rwFg-P_6ks/Tl-W4rkvVvI/AAAAAAAAB_o/o-nNCQ-j3Ow/vlcsnap-2011-09-01-19h53m26s177.jpg[/img] The performances are all genuine and convincing, but of course, one that stands out belongs to Toni Servillo as he impresses yet again with a brilliant act after his "The Consequences of Love" which I saw last. Also watch out for an interesting cameo by Valeria Golino ("Hot Shots!", "Rain Man"). For first time director, Andrea Molaioli, "The Girl by the Lake" is quite a commendable debut, even if the conclusion may seem a tad underwhelming to some. I, on the other hand was quite impressed as it took me entirely by surprise and I couldn't help but think how well it distances itself from the usual conclusions that most films of the genre typically resort to! For all its worth, "The Girl by the Lake" definitely deserves to be seen and is worth the time invested, rest assured! Score: 8/10.

• Luke B

  
  Look at the poster. It's beautiful. Now imagine 1 and a half hours of a similarly beautiful film. The cinematography captures such wonderful landscapes and settings, with perfect lighting, that it's easy to forget there is a story to tell. The story itself is an intricately… More
  Look at the poster. It's beautiful. Now imagine 1 and a half hours of a similarly beautiful film. The cinematography captures such wonderful landscapes and settings, with perfect lighting, that it's easy to forget there is a story to tell. The story itself is an intricately woven masterpiece, that seems familiar but feels different. This is probably due to Molaioli capturing the slow, quiet nature of his small town setting. The twist here, is at the beginning of the film, and it's a good one. Servillo is one of the finest actors today. He is almost as good here as he was in Consequences of Love. His police commissioner trying to deal with the case and his wife, whom has Alzheimer's. The majority is in daylight, making it stand out and take real advantage of the fantastic greens in the area. The soundtrack is also simple but heart shattering. The simple notes creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

• Panta O

  
  "The Girl by the Lake" is a movie I saw at the Italian Film Festival in Brisbane... it was my choice because of the director's pedigree: ten times winner of DAVID DI DONATELLO, 3 times winner of NASTRI D'ARGENTO and two times winner of the Venice film festival!… More
  "The Girl by the Lake" is a movie I saw at the Italian Film Festival in Brisbane... it was my choice because of the director's pedigree: ten times winner of DAVID DI DONATELLO, 3 times winner of NASTRI D'ARGENTO and two times winner of the Venice film festival! After watching this movie I had to ask myself how did he got all these awards?! Not at one moment was this movie better than the worst episode of "Inspector Rex" on SBS TV... Unusual murder is to be solved by an inspector who is a main character in a movie which does not have any lead in it... the audience is not sure if the story is about the murder, the inspector, the girl, the killer, the young lady... it was the late show but that was not the reason for a loud snoring in the cinema! Andrea Molaioli owes all of us as a director - wasted night which could be used better.

• Hal M

  
  An intriguing, leisurely paced murder mystery, character-centered rather than action-driven. Features uniformly good acting and excellent color cinematography (setting, framing, movement). I viewed the picture twice and liked it even better the second time, as the various clues and… More
  An intriguing, leisurely paced murder mystery, character-centered rather than action-driven. Features uniformly good acting and excellent color cinematography (setting, framing, movement). I viewed the picture twice and liked it even better the second time, as the various clues and false clues uncovered by the investigation are more clearly revealed. I look forward to seeing more films from this new director, Andrea Molaioli.