Hole

Michelangelo Frammartino (born 1968), arguably the most significant Italian filmmaker of his generation, produces barely one feature film per decade. For his latest work, he has partnered with Swiss cinematographer Renato Berta, 23 years his senior, whose name is linked to a long series of classical works; he collaborated with Godard, Rivette, Resnais, Straub, de Oliveira, and Rohmer.

The year is 1961. While northern Italy experiences industrial boom, the south remains an abandoned countryside. A group of cavers from wealthy northern Italy arrives in a village near Naples to discreetly explore one of Europe's deepest cave systems.

Before the film's title appears, we see archival footage from a high-rise building - an image of triumphant modernity, specifically Italian modernity from the early sixties, "Antonionesque" (one cannot help but recall the title sequence from La Notte). From there, the expedition heads in the opposite direction - toward origins, toward natural cycles, into apparent timelessness.