Violent Summer

8.5/10. Watched this on February 2 on DVD.

It’s the summer of 1943, and a group of young Italians are at play, choosing to ignore the war that is rapidly approaching their seaside town. One of their number (Jean-Louis Trintignant), the son of a fascist leader, begins an affair with a war widow (Eleonora Rossi Drago). Their relationship, already difficult, becomes more and more impossible to sustain as the peace in their town starts to unravel.

Director Valerio Zurlini was a truly gifted filmmaker; I’m astonished that I’d never heard of him until someone gave me this disc as a present. His camera work is superlative yet subtle; there are bravura moments here, but they don’t announce themselves. And he draws powerful performances from his actors, particularly his two leads.