La ragazza del lago

''La Ragazza Del Lago'' is an enjoyable movie with high production values and an engaging story based on the second book in the Konrad Sejer series, written by the Norwegian author Karin Fossum. Since this is an Italian production, Inspector Sejer is renamed as Commissario Sanzio, played by one of the best contemporary European actors, Toni Servillo who portrays the protagonist as having the character traits that Fossum have attributed to him in the novels i.e. a solemn, pessimistic middle-aged man living alone, who nevertheless has a profound insight in the field of psychology, something that proves to be helpful in every murder investigation.The story is not an original or particularly exciting, it involves the murder of a young girl living in a small, quiet village where everybody seems to have their own secrets. Sanzio will have to uncover the truth that looms behind the villagers secrecy and finally arrest the perpetrator. The film is well-shot as it manages to capture the sinister qualities of the countryside's peace and silence which, in Fossum's books, acts as a facade for a variety of human misconduct and depravity. Though conventional, the plotline is interesting enough for the viewer to watch the film and attempt to guess the guilty party, something that I didn't manage to do correctly by the way. ''La Ragazza Del Lago'' will appeal mainly to the crime fiction fans who prefer the slow-burning, character oriented mystery and not to those who expect lots of action and special effects to a crime film (e.g. Hollywood productions). My precise rating would be closer to 3,2-3,3/5.

I'm glad a movie was filmed in the region where I live! Even though we have always been almost forget by the rest of Italy, our place offers a breathtaking variety of landscapes perfect for filming. More and more directors are realizing that, and other movies are being filmed here at the present time. I found this movie kind of slow though,and I didn't like too much the fact that the main character spoke with a southern accent as well others in the movie speaking with accents other than the Fraulein (spoken in the province of Udine). You could tell it was a production from Rome. Next time make it more "local"! Anyway I liked the plot.

A beautiful victim in a beautiful setting starts us off on an interesting who-dun-it, with suspects emerging by the handful for our world-weary detective to evaluate. The characters are all pretty interesting, each with a believable idiosyncrasy and one or two with a plausible motive. Flashbacks to the pretty victim's life and digressions about the detective's own less- than-happy family serve to keep some tension going, too.

But the resolution is a disappointment, both in terms of who-dun-it and the manner in which the suspect is discovered. Endings are never more important than in mysteries – a weak one makes us feel guilty for killing time. This "Girl" does just that.

'The Girl By The Lake" is a good mystery movie with several suspects and a detective with an insinuating style that gradually arrests your attention. It defies you to pick the murderer and keeps its secret until nearly the last scene, and is gorgeously photographed. The suspects backgrounds and possible motives are uncovered like layers of an onion, so towards the end of the picture you feel you are nowhere closer to a solution than when it started. In this respect it is a masterful screenplay and with an intelligent script. No complaints here, right?

Well, one small one. Why so much talking? Most of us appreciate good screen writing, but this picture had so much of it. Would have been nice to see some action or at least some scenes with some energy, but it's like reading a letter - all the words and sentences are in one tone of voice, with no emotional highs or lows to be found. The movie is saved from a lower rating by the efforts of Toni Servillo as the Police Inspector, a nondescript sort who showed a great deal of charisma and brought his character to life. I do not agree with a contributor who felt the support cast was amateurish as they were competent down to the least character.

This picture is worth a good look and is better than the website contributors give it credit for. The climax was not thrilling, but probably the way many murder cases end in the real world, matter-of-fact and not with guns blazing like in the movies.

This was a delightful detective story about a murder mystery set in a charming and picturesque European mountain village. I liked the subtlety of various scenes and how it was filmed in a unique and interesting style. The actors are all good in this movie and come across as natural and realistic characters who live in an isolated and tight knit community.

There are many different things going on as a veteran detective investigates the mystery and uncovers secrets of the towns people. The film is slow moving however, and requires patience and close attention for enjoyment of the plot, otherwise I could see how this movie's quirky style might be unappealing to the mainstream. The ending is unfortunately abrupt and disappointing, and the mystery wraps up in a mundane and uninteresting manner. Despite this, the movie for most if its running time is well worth watching for those looking for an offbeat and interesting whodunit.