Il Solengo is a 2015 Italian documentary film directed by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis. The film tells the story of a mysterious wild boar named Solengo, who becomes a legend among the inhabitants of a Tuscan village. Solengo is a huge and ferocious animal who roams the countryside, destroying everything in his path. The film opens with a series of interviews with local farmers and hunters, who recount their encounters with Solengo. Some say that the beast has supernatural powers, while others believe that he is a curse sent by God to punish them for their sins. As the film progresses, the directors delve deeper into the psyche of the villagers, exploring their superstitions, fears, and desires.
Throughout the film, Solengo remains elusive, appearing only in rare glimpses caught on camera. Some sequences show the animal running through the fields, while others show him lying in wait for his prey. The directors use a variety of techniques to capture Solengo's movements, including drone footage, handheld cameras, and slow-motion shots.
The film also includes interviews with experts on wild boars, who provide scientific insights into Solengo's behavior. They explain that wild boars are highly social animals, and that they communicate with each other through a series of grunts, squeals, and snorts. They also talk about the ecological impact of wild boars, and how they have become a threat to many crops and habitats in Europe.
As the film reaches its climax, Solengo becomes a symbol of the villagers’ deepest fears and desires. They begin to see him as a source of power, a symbol of their connection to the land and to the natural world. At the same time, they fear him, and they fear what he represents.
Overall, Il Solengo is a fascinating portrait of a rural community and its relationship with the land and with nature. Through the story of Solengo, the film explores a wide range of themes, from folklore and mythology to ecology and conservation. The cinematography is stunning, capturing the beauty and complexity of the Tuscan landscape, and the editing is masterful, weaving together a wide range of voices and perspectives into a rich and thought-provoking narrative. For anyone interested in documentary filmmaking, wildlife, or Italian culture, Il Solengo is a must-see film.
Il Solengo is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 5 minutes.
It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0.
