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In Fondo al Bosco
Deep in the Wood
Italy 2015
produced by Manuela Cacciamani, Andrea Nocetti, Giovanna Arata, Nils Hartmann (executive), Roberto Amoroso (executive), Sonia Rovai (executive) for Sky, One More Pictures, Trentino Film Commission
directed by Stefano Lodovichi
starring Filippo Nigro, Camilla Filippi, Giovanni Vettorazzo, Teo Achille Caprio, Stefano Pietro Detassis, Maria Vittoria Barrella, Roberto Gudese, Luca Filippi, Andrea Brunello, Uber. Beatrice, Alessandro Corabi, Luca Di Giovanni, Ermanno De Biagi, Antonella Arseni, Gaetano di Vaio, Roberta Barbiero, Rocco Rampino, Claudio Colavecchia, Simon Pliger
written by Isabella Aguilar, Stefano Lodovichi, Davide Orsini, music by Riccardo Amorese
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Krampus-fest in a small village in the Dolomites, Italy: Little Tommi
(Alessandro Corabi) is so scared by the Satanic masks of the Krampus
dancers that he tries to urge his dad Manuel (Filippo Nigro) to leave with
him, but when he, slightly inebriated, refuses, he just darts off on his
own ... and isn't seen again, despite the best efforts of the police and
locals to track him down. Soon, Manuel is suspected for having killed his
son, and even arrested for it, but as no evidence at all is found
corroborating these accusations, he's set free again - with his reputation
forever shattered. Meanwhile, Tommi's mum Linda (Camilla Filippi), having
never been the stablest, tried to kill herself and the like. They remain
together though, even if Linda has an affair, and doesn't put much efforts
into concealing it even. 5 years later: A feral kid (Teo Achille Caprio)
is found near the village, and he does somehow resemble Tommi ... but
since it's hard to be sure whether he is him after that long a time, a DNA
test is performed - and proves his identity without doubt. Manuel, who has
been riddled by guilt all these years - he may not have killed the boy but
he was his responsibility then and there - is over the moon and tries to
do his best to make up for everything and at least now give him a normal
childhood ... but Linda is less than happy about having her boy back, to
the point that she denies the fact that Tommi even is Tommi - and Tommi
sure acts strange, sometimes close to violent, and at one time slits a
dog's throat just because he has barked at him. What doesn't make it
easier for Manuel and Tommi is the fact that many in the village, first
and foremost her father (Giovanni Vettorazzo) do share Linda's doubts. And
fact is, there's a dark secret in town that has to do with Tommi and that
only Manuel seems blind to ... Now true, Deep in the Wood
takes quite a bit to kick into gear, and in the first half tries a bit too
hard to drive its point home - but one would be hard-pressed to not admit
that the finale makes more than up for it, a finale that turns the whole
story topsy-turvey and succeeds in surprising everyone without making too
conscious an effort or coming across as pulled out of a hat or moronic -
quite the contrary, the ending makes much more sense than what the film
made us believe it's working towards. Plus, the whole movie's very
well-played and atmospherically directed, making the best of its
Dolomite-locations, and thus totally worth a watch!
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