Review of The Hole

"Il buco" is a film on its own terms and rights. The pace is mostly slow and without the fast frame-cutting we all know from modern action movies. And thankfully so, 'cause this film is not an action movie with a traditional plot. It's also daring in not spending time on traditional dialogue, which in its place naturally asks for something else. And this is where "Il buco" shows its strengths. The film is made like a time-travel back to 1961 where the camera is our eyes to just show us what may have happened when an expedition was sent out to discover new territory. The story-telling pace may seem extremely slow - at least when comparing to traditional modern films, but again: this is no such thing! You need to adjust your attention to things along the way. The challenges the expedition meet are described via the pace and the natural physical conditions, not unlike the first moon landing - and that pace is precisely balanced with the untouched soil they are about to uncover, so you also understand it's a story about the meeting of cultures and the meeting of a then modern world and an ancient timeless world. Unware of their imposing presence, the expedition changes an unknown locality for all time to come and this is shown in a parrallel story-line in a gentle and sophisticated way that goes hand in hand with the main story about the cave.

This is a film for people who enjoy other ways of expression and the force of story-telling that is an inherent part of images alone.

Do yourself a favour not to expect "Spiderman XXII", "Wrath in the Hole", or "Trump Goes Berserk, part 24" [...] - it's not that type of film. Instead, expect "Il buco", a film about existentialism, human curiosity, a drive to discover the unknown planet Earth in a subtle, poetic and realistic way.

A truly recommended experience.