Carlo Mazzacurati’s compelling mystery thriller unfolds with a wonderful sense of place. Returning to the Po River flatlands of his first film (Italian Night), Mazzacurati’s tale of mistrust is played out in the kind of small-town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Teenager Giovanni (Giovanni Capovilla) has ambitions to become a journalist and is secretly working as a stringer for a local paper, whose gruff editor warns him about the necessity of keeping the right distance between himself and the people he writes about.

When new teacher Mara (Valentina Lodovini) arrives in town, she attracts the interest of Giovanni and many other men, especially lonely Tunisian-born mechanic Hassan (Ahmed Hafiene). As Giovanni reports on local news and strange happenings, he finds himself drawn into tragic events that reflect the prejudices and closed minds of this small community. Beautifully shot by ace cameraman Luca Bigazzi (The Consequences of Love, Il Divo) and with an appropriately haunting score by Tin Hat, this is an intelligent, gripping and moving thriller.