THE GIRL BY THE LAKE (2007)

THE GIRL BY THE LAKE: LIFE AND DEATH IN ITALIAN CINEMA

Italian director Andrea Molaioli’s debut feature film The Girl by the Lake (2007) is a detective-based thriller.  In the film, Inspector Giovanni Sanzio (Toni Servillo) finds the beautiful, young Anna (Alessia Piovan) murdered. This triggers a who done it-style investigation where the entire small community is put on trial. While searching for Anna’s killer in an array of possible suspects, a subplot is unfolding regarding the Inspector’s relationship with his wife, Moglie di Sanzio (Anna Bonaiuto). She has been suffering with a mental disease causing her to increasingly forget memories of her past. The main narrative coupled with the various subplots of the movie emphasizes the effect that life and death has on the characters.

The presence of death within the movie is starkly contrasted with the opening. A tracking shot follows a small girl through the village on her way home. During her journey, she interacts with a variety of characters from the small community. This scene, while acting as a subtle introduction for many of these minor characters, suggests more about the town. This demonstrates the way that everybody in the community is interconnected. Through this juxtaposition, the film proposes larger existential questions regarding the purpose of life. To what extent are we all interconnected? Despite the film being located in Italy, it could be translated to any country. There aren’t any parts of the area that are massively discernible as being part of Italian culture. The crime could have occurred in rural America or the English countryside. All over the world, there are places where such communities exist, therefore the film has a global presence.

Through storyline regarding baby Angelo, the director addresses what can happen to a family following death. It is revealed that the child’s death left an everlasting problem in the marriage of Corrado (Fabrizio Gifuni) and his wife (Valeria Golino). After a person dies, people predominantly spend their time thinking about how the person lived their life. The people left behind are often forgotten. Dealing with loss is a monumental aspect for family and friends of the deceased, particularly when it is a child who has lost their life. The guilt about Angelo’s death ultimately proved too much for the couple and the only way they could resolve this was to end their relationship.

The film reinforces the fact that death has no preferences of any sort. Out of the various citizens of the small town, it is suggested that Anna was one of the kindest and most selfless people. Before she became ill, Anna was the babysitter of Angelo, a young disabled boy. There seems to be some disparity initially about how the baby lost his life however, the blame ultimately is placed on his parents.  When she found out that she was dying, rather than fulfil her own wishes, she ensured that the death of baby Angelo was avenged. The repercussions this had on the family suggest that living with the guilt of such an atrocity is the punishment for those left behind. This can be compared to the town in general as all the characters seem to be dealing with their own internal struggles. To die can be seen as a form of salvation as it is seemingly only those with pure consciences who lose their lives and escape such circumstances.

The affect death has on the lives of those left behind is further presented in the movie through Mario and his relationship with his rabbits. Mario (Franco Ravera) is a local man with a mental handicap who is presented as having a very intimate, tender relationship with the creatures that he cares for. Around the middle of the movie, he discovers that his favourite, Hercules, has passed away. His father says that the rabbit died of old age but Mario is suspicious that his father actually murdered the creature. This situation is reminiscent to that of Anna. The death triggers a sense of mistrust amongst those involved and the search for the culprit becomes a way to seek closure. Ultimately, the anecdote further suggests that sickness does not serve as a valid excuse for murder. No matter how inevitable death is, a person or creature should choose for himself or herself when death is appropriate.

This proposition is also applicable to the subplot regarding Sanzio’s sick wife, Moglie. Her mental disease causes her to increasingly forget memories of her past therefore her husband and daughter both understand that tragically she will eventually forget about them, too. Even though the characters understand that her disease will eventually consume her, it does not stop them from allowing her to continue living happily. At the end of the movie, she appears content having engaged in a new relationship. There is a brief second where she seems to knowingly acknowledge her family leaving the audience to wonder whether this kind of ignorance can actually be a good thing. Her life is a possible representation for what Anna could have retained had she not already decided to devote her remaining time to avenging baby Angelo.

The film is summarized effectively when the main character states that ‘everybody is harmless until they turn nasty’. This suggests that in life, eventually all people turn out to be cruel. While this is a very pessimistic opinion, it suggests that perhaps it is best to face death before coming to such a realization. By dying at such a young age, Anna avoided becoming such a cynic. In many ways, she ultimately died for a good cause as a martyr.