Vermiglio: cold and severe, Maura Delpero’s drama tells the story of a large family from a small village in the waning days of World War II, and how their lives change when a pair of deserting soldiers arrive. It’s a beautiful and sad tale, narrated in a tone as far from melodramatic as possible. Martina Scrinzi plays the eldest daughter, arguably the protagonist, as an appropriately shy and hard-working young woman; Tommaso Ragno plays her father, the austere village’s schoolmaster, in a performance as cold and severe as the film. The star of the film, in any case, is cinematographer Mikhail Krichman: bathing the frame with soft, wintry light, framing the action beautifully, keeping the camera quiet and neutral, every frame looks like a painting. Editor Luca Mattei keeps the pace ponderous, but the characters are engaging and the images of the secluded village beautiful, which helps to hold the interest.