Director: Stefano Lodovichi
Writer: Stefano Lodovichi, Isabella Aguilar, Davide Orsini (Screenplay)
Starring: Filippo Nigro, Camilla Filippi, Giovanni Vettorazzo, Teo Achille Caprio, Stefano Pietro Detassis
Plot: Winter 2010. Dolomites. Tommaso Conci, a 4-year-old child, disappears during a festival where people disguised as devils, the Krampus, terrorize the village with whips and chains. Five years later, a child was found nameless and without documents. DNA matches: he is Tommi. Manuel, the father, can finally embrace his son. The mother, Linda, however, cannot adapt to the new situation. A suspect digs inside her: what if that child is not really her son?
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Great Mystery Thriller
Story: Deep in the Woods starts on the day celebrating Krampus when a 4-year-old Tommi becomes the latest victim of the festival which has claimed children in the past who have gone missing without a trace. Manuel (Nigro) is the prime suspect but his wife Linda (Filippi) refused to blame him as the case goes cold.
5 years later, Tommi (Caprio) is found alive but with no memory of any events. Manuel opens him back with open arms while Linda becomes confused about the truth, questioning whether it is really her son. We are left to see what the truth is and whether the town’s belief in the devil could have in fact created their own vision of him in Tommi.
Thoughts on Deep in the Woods
Characters/Performance – Manuel is the father of the boy, blamed for his disappearance and the last to see past what is real or not when Tommi returns. Linda is the mother of the missing boy that doesn’t believe she is seeing her son in this young boy questioning everything about what she has found.
The performances here are all good and truly help us keep guessing to learn the truth about what happened on the night of the disappearance.
Story – The story fast becomes a big mystery that we must learn the truth of the events with Manuel, the story also plays into the idea that urban legend could be true and how believing in them can lead you astray. I did find myself enjoying how this dark thriller unfolded seeing just where it will go next.
Thriller – The film keeps you on edge from start to finish as we wait to see where everything will go next.
Settings – The film is set in a small Italian town that is close enough to know everyone who get happy to point the fingers when a crime happens.
Final Thoughts – This is a film I didn’t know too much about going into but found myself on edge wondering just where it will go next.
Overall: This is a great thriller that does keep us guessing from start to finish.
Rating
