"Le Orme," or Footprints is an Italian film that is often loosely classified as a giallo. The film is mysterious and suspenseful, typical of gialli; however, footprints lacks the gratuitous nudity and gore typical of the genre. In addition, the themes of outer space and moon walking are atypical in a genre focused on more earthly endeavors. The most distinguishing aspect of this film is the mood created by the combination of story, camera work, and cinematography. Footsteps manages to elicit a darkly unsettling mood not commonly accomplished in gialli or any other genre for that matter.
This film defies review for the simple and common reason that revealing the assumptions of the filmmaker means revealing the ending. Footprints is a film with a twist ending that ties up all of the loose ends left throughout the film. In that sense alone, the movie is quite well done. Without giving too much away, the film is comparable in mood to Scorsese's Shutter Island. The story hinges on a woman accounting for her whereabouts from earlier in the week. She seems to be suffering from amnesia. Yet, as the film progresses, something more sinister may be a foot. Like Shutter Island, the film takes the audience along on the confusing, cryptic, and paranoia fueled journey of a protagonist puzzling out what exactly the reality of the situation is. The story of Footprints is subtle and spooky. The lonely setting, sparse yet textured visuals, and use of a variety of camera techniques all act in harmony to create an oppressive mood that is both creepy and enjoyable. The main point being conveyed is that the film is aptly described as visceral. The crowning accomplishment of Footprints is that the audience experiences the palette of emotions in synchrony with the protagonist.
As a whole, this is a wonderful film that truly engrosses the audience. As with many gialli, the movie comes off as a bit long. The filmmakers lavish time on creating the moods and ambiance wanted. This slowness is the only potential flaw in the film. "Potential," is used as pacing and contextual needs do seem to be very subjective. Overall, this is a wonderful exploration of confusion and the paranoia caused by said confusion.
On a personal note, I will definitely be recommending this film to friends. Footprints does not make the best Friday movie night film, as it is noticeably downbeat. That said, this is a film to recommend for movie discussion groups. The title is often unknown and the story/techniques are extremely well done. 7 of 10 stars.
This film defies review for the simple and common reason that revealing the assumptions of the filmmaker means revealing the ending. Footprints is a film with a twist ending that ties up all of the loose ends left throughout the film. In that sense alone, the movie is quite well done. Without giving too much away, the film is comparable in mood to Scorsese's Shutter Island. The story hinges on a woman accounting for her whereabouts from earlier in the week. She seems to be suffering from amnesia. Yet, as the film progresses, something more sinister may be a foot. Like Shutter Island, the film takes the audience along on the confusing, cryptic, and paranoia fueled journey of a protagonist puzzling out what exactly the reality of the situation is. The story of Footprints is subtle and spooky. The lonely setting, sparse yet textured visuals, and use of a variety of camera techniques all act in harmony to create an oppressive mood that is both creepy and enjoyable. The main point being conveyed is that the film is aptly described as visceral. The crowning accomplishment of Footprints is that the audience experiences the palette of emotions in synchrony with the protagonist.
As a whole, this is a wonderful film that truly engrosses the audience. As with many gialli, the movie comes off as a bit long. The filmmakers lavish time on creating the moods and ambiance wanted. This slowness is the only potential flaw in the film. "Potential," is used as pacing and contextual needs do seem to be very subjective. Overall, this is a wonderful exploration of confusion and the paranoia caused by said confusion.
On a personal note, I will definitely be recommending this film to friends. Footprints does not make the best Friday movie night film, as it is noticeably downbeat. That said, this is a film to recommend for movie discussion groups. The title is often unknown and the story/techniques are extremely well done. 7 of 10 stars.