Scarlet

An elegant parable based on a story by Alexander Grin.

L'envol
2022, Pietro Marcello

Italy—France—Germany
100 minutes,
English with Russian subtitles

Starring: Juliette Jouan, Raphael Thiery, Louis Garrel, Noemie Lvovsky

Upon returning from the front lines of World War I, Raphael learns that his wife has died. He will raise their daughter Juliet on a farm, in the company of other outcasts from the nearest town. Juliette grows up, and her voice once attracts the aviator Jean, who finds himself in these parts.

Shot from Scarlet, 2022

This beguiling film has the cadences of a fairy tale but Marcello, who came up through the documentary world, expertly blends the immediate and the airy.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture

What remains of Grin’s story in the film is mainly the caring relationship between father and daughter, around which the director builds an airy, poetic parable. There is not only romance in it, but also labour relations, rural magic, and the dramatic history of the 20th century.