Deep into the Wood, 2015.
Directed by Stefano Lodovichi.
Starring Filippo Nigro, Camilla Filippi, Giovanni Vettorazzo, Teo Achille Caprio, Maria Vittoria Barrella, Luca Filippi, and Roberto Gudese.
SYNOPSIS:
A son goes missing at a Krampus festival, with many suspecting the boy’s father killed him. 5 years of blame and public scrutiny has torn the family apart. Emerging from the woods. Now the son has returned, much to the delight of the father, but not everyone is convinced that it’s really the missing boy.
The loss of a child is instinctual fear unlike any other. Palpable to any culture or religion Deep into the Wood makes its subject matter easily identifiable.
The legend of the half-goat, half-demon Krampus, a mythical beast that punishes children during the Christmas period, is the filmmaker’s attempt to draw comparisons between it and the story of the missing child. Unfortunately, what happens is it becomes more akin to the legend of the Changeling.
When Tommi (Teo Achille Caprio) is found to be a mute-feral, people are unsure how to respond. In fact, Tommi’s mother (Camilla Filippi) and grandfather (Pietro Weiss) are wholly suspicious. The father (Filippo Nigro), who has been blamed for killing their son, is relieved, yet is still (understandably) angry that the village locals don’t believe him.
This Changing narrative brings forward an interesting facet in these young parents: selfishness. The parents seem less concerned for the wellbeing of Tommi, to help rehabilitate him into a civilised society, but are more interested in their own gains. The father parades his son around, an act to absolve him of any wrongdoing, ignoring the alcohol abuse he displayed in Tommi’s early years and his marriage.
It’s potential to be a psychological thriller-cum-drama about the identity of this kid, and the bringing about of demons from the past is squandered as the film attempts to infuse the supernatural. As alluded to earlier, the supernatural elements are window dressing to the story, to give the film a quasi-horror label, only without the scares. There are a few supernatural horror visuals, albeit a few moments that jar with the dramatically wrought atmosphere surrounding it.
As with any mystery story, there comes the inevitable climax to explain everything. However, this only raises more questions (yes, more than those strange supernatural set pieces). It’s a Nolan-inspired climax with all plot threads culminating into one big revelation, only it’s without the Nolan grandiose.
Deep into the Wood is worth checking if one happens to stumble upon it on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or any other streaming service as it offers something different; something that’s counter to the banal mainstream of jump scares.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★★★ / Movie: ★★
Matthew Lee
Originally published June 3, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
