The Man Who Will Come

I just needed to write a direct answer to the review of "sfviewer123" - "Old wine new bottles" who voted 4.0 and claims about some stereotypization of the historical complexity. Please disregard that review.

I can tell you that I grew up in the same region were the facts of this film are based, I read the historical documents, I watched the interviews of the survivals. My grandpa was hiding from the fascist forces in those years. This films captures to a true depth the reality of that conflict form the perspective of the innocent population. It is a unique gem in it's genre and it is historically very accurate of the events of the Marzabotto massacre.

Now this what i call an Underrated film, i don't why it didn't get the deserved attention, Maybe because of a poor Marketing i don't know but seriously this film need more appreciation, I highly Recommend it.

I saw "L'uomo che verrà" in a small theater in Florence, Italy last February.

One of the beautiful things about the film is that it will appeal to various audiences in very different, albeit powerful ways. It was related to me that the historical events portrayed and implied by the film are quite accurate, so locals from the mountains above Bologna or history buffs won't feel disappointed by an inaccurate rendition. Depending on their demographic other Italians should either be able to sympathize or empathize with characters in the movie as well. For viewers that are not European, I can confidently say that they will find themselves presented with an old theme (Nazi occupation and brutality) delivered in a novel and unique theatrical vessel.

Additionally, the cinematography is wonderful. I truly did feel as if I was in the countryside with the characters of the movie being terrorized by a foreign occupying force.

As a side note, the movie is in a dialect that most Italians will not even understand. With the good subtitles, I felt that it actually added to the movie's appeal.

This movie is mostly seen through the eyes of the young girl, Martina, who along with the other children provides a depth of innocence which is the counterpoint to the ice-cold brutality of an invading army. The various viewpoints and behaviour of the diverse groups: villagers - old and young; partisans living in the woods;the clergy; the invading forces with their various levels of humanity from ruthless soldiers whose souls are dead to those who can't help but feel compassion for the people they are invading, never seem clichéd even though they may be in so many war movies. This is simply humanity at war, portrayed clearly and credibly without the slightest pretence. The cinematography, direction and acting are supremely natural, creating a fine, memorable movie.

It's Dec 1943 in rural Italy. Martina is a young girl who has stopped talking. The other kids pick on her. Her mother is pregnant after the lost of her baby brother. Her family works the family farm living under the Nazi occupation. Some of the villagers support the Partisans led by Wolf. The fighting between the Partisans and the Nazis escalate. The Germans round up the locals and massacre them. Martina survives the mass killings and find her newborn brother as the historical event takes place.

This takes a lesser known story, outside of Italy, and brings it onto the big screen from the point of view of a child. It is beautifully shot. The story meanders early on but the little girl is compelling enough to keep it interesting. The massacre itself is a rolling train of horrifying events. It's important to tell the tale and this does a good job doing it with beauty and sincerity.