When the nude body of the beautiful 18-year-old Anna (Alessia Piovan) is discovered on the shores of a lake in the Italian Dolomite Alps, the local town recoils like a slapped hand then clenches itself like a fist, hiding any number of secrets and unspoken, unexpressed emotions.
Upon first viewing "La Ragazza del Lago" (Japanese title: "Mizuumi no Hotoride") recalls "Twin Peaks," which also kicked off with a visually stunning cadaver, but filmmaker Andrea Molaioli wastes no time on preliminary character studies or finicky, linguistic humor — like its centerpiece Inspector Sanzio (Tony Servillo), "La Ragazza . . . " is cut-and-dried, humorless and with a matte texture mindful of facial skin after days of sleep deprivation.
"In a place like this, no one can hide anything," the townspeople of this idyllic little vacation spot keep telling Sanzio, conveniently ignoring the fact that they're not telling him much. Anna herself had been friendly but reticent, unwilling to part with much personal information. Everyone knew her as the captain of her school hockey team and the girl who was as lovely as a Renaissance statue.