Il Buco

2021 1h 33m IT

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 105

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In August 1961, speleologists from Italy’s booming North arrive on a Calabrian plateau where time stands still. The intruders discover one of the world’s deepest caves, the Bifurto Abyss, under the gaze of an old shepherd, the only witness of the pristine territory.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Nicola Lanza
Zi' Nicola
Antonio Lanza
Leonardo Larocca
Doctor
Claudia Candusso
Speleologist
Mila Costi
Speleologist
Carlos José Crespo
Speleologist
Jacopo Elia
Speleologist
Federico Gregoretti
Speleologist

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
Writers: Giovanna Giuliani, Michelangelo Frammartino, Michelangelo Frammartino
Languages: Italian
Countries: Germany, France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michelangelo Frammartino, shot by Renato Berta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Benni Atria shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Nicola Lanza and Antonio Lanza and Leonardo Larocca carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt11012320 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michelangelo Frammartino directs. Renato Berta behind the camera. Benni Atria cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany, France, Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: Germany, France, Italy.
3Directed by Michelangelo Frammartino, shot by Renato Berta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Benni Atria shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Nicola Lanza and Antonio Lanza and Leonardo Larocca carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt11012320 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Renato Berta
Editing: Benni Atria
Production design: Giliano Carli
Costume design: Stefania Grilli
Makeup / hair: Maria Gerolama Sale
VFX supervisor: Gilberto Arpioni
Sound: Florian Holzner
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
IMDB: Il Buco (2021)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Sound Designer

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Michelangelo Frammartino

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-11
★ 7/10
With virtually no dialogue at all, this is the ultimate observational documentary - with two strands. The first centres around the recreation of a speleological expedition (from 1961) to explore a cave that stretches deep under the Calabrian plateau. The second features an elderly, weather-beaten, shepherd (Antonio Lanza), whose only means of communication appears to be using sounds similar to those emanating from his herd of cattle. It's not immediately obvious at the start, but gradually - and subliminally - the two stories intertwine with a gentle intensity. The cave has something visceral about it. It's entrance has a kind of primordiality that one could easily imagine being the site of some ancient pagan, mother Earth, rituals. What is also notable from the outset is the technologically basic nature of their work. They attempt to measure the depth of the cave by using burning embers to light their way. Their mapping is all hand (and ink) drawn. Not an iPad or laptop in sight whilst they sleep three in a tent regularly visited by the obliviously grazing residents. Meanwhile the elder gent watches on, seemingly imperviously, until he takes a bit of a turn and is sought by his colleagues before being attended by a doctor who clearly deduces, again without any language, that he is soon to move onto a different plateau. The audio is interesting. The lack of speech allows us to hear the noises of the water, the wind, the animals and that is quite effective. The photography is also pretty stunning, especially down the hole where the rock formations offer all sorts of shadows and textures for what little light the surveyor's helmet-lamps can provide. It is creepy and claustrophobic - I felt that this was just not a place where man belonged. There is a simplicity to this whole production that, though perhaps a little slow at times, offers a glimpse of both nature (natural and human) that has evolved little over many years, and I found it curiously compelling to watch.

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