One of the most interesting facets of the unhurried style of narration in Vermiglio remains its characterization that invariably marks as a sign of change over the course of the film. So while on one hand, you are acquainted to Cesare, a staunch but not entirely unloving patriatch who is mostly concerned with the preservation of customs of beliefs of their community, on the other hand you have his children featuring Lucia who is attracted to the new stranger in her village Pietro, and initiates a discreet affair while sharing quieter intimate moments in church. Pietro is seemingly kept hidden from the village in order to restore the purity of the community, but you can quickly make out that people are welcoming, without really pouring a fuss. In the meanwhile, the dynamics of the family are an interesting proposition as well – Adele, Cesare’s wife is mostly restricted to following the ways of formalism of her husband while her daughters Ada and Flavia are fiercely independent, although they are yet to discover this trait of theirs.

Much of the drama unfolds as an observational setup – even the steamy affair of Pietro and Lucia are restricted to a contrived side-plot while firmly observing the characters around them. This basically also means that there is no real surge in the proceedings that continues to unfold at a leisurely pace. It is almost a reflection of viewing the contrasting ideological angles through the most neutral lens possible. This is true even with respect to the character of Ada, Lucia’s younger sister who is on the verge of puberty and has freshly began to experiment with her s*xuality, almost being hidden behind the cupboard of her room. The drama though refuses to judge its characters while mostly being interested in observing the voices of change in these characters. For instance, Ada has been repeatedly fed things about religion that may not be true, yet she finds her voice while indulging in ‘sins’ (although discreetly with a bit of guilt) and occasionally be swooned by her attractive neighbour Virginia, who is the talk of her family for being a ‘bad influence’. At the same time, the voice of education quickly makes its way to Flavia, the youngest sister being more vocal – she can read and write while steadily observing maps laid out on the table.

The backdrop of the war plays an important part in the budding relationship of Pietro and Lucia. The two marry and get pregnant, yet with the war ending, Pietro decides to make his way to locate his family with the promise of returning to Lucia soon. Yet, days turn into months but the radio remains silent until a twisted take of tragedy changes the equation for Lucia. Notice how the age-old beliefs of ‘men’ being important members of the family ecosystem makes the rounds by women around Lucia, that further probes her into a state of depression. It is reflective of the stale ideologies being fed for generations to women, while the ‘men’ of the community looked to keep the community ‘pure’ from any foreign elements, a symbolism of ‘virginity’ in women. In other words, women of this world were taught how NOT to survive without men, that seemingly has searing effevts on the mental health of Lucia.

The drama is an intimate portrayal of relationships that doesn’t necessarily wish to take stands, or even broadly paint its characters with a single colour. But the regressive bouts are true with respect to the character of the father who is a teacher alright but known to manipulate his ideologies as per his interests. From preventing Ada from studying further, or casually being dismissive of his kids claiming to restrict themselves in the rural setup, is just one of those traits. But the snow does thaw in this universe with a change in the setup towards the end with respect to each of the three characters of Lucia, Ada and Flavia who slowly begin to explore a world outside their realms of beliefs passed onto them over generations. And yet, the degree of acceptance is a point that is deliberately kept as ambiguous, while the focus continues to remain on the intimate beginnings of the new voices of ideology that doesn’t drastically change, albeit a few tweaks best termed as an evolution. The screenplay is complex and nuanced while making a gentle yet lasting impact.