Il buco


Il buco is a 2021 Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Frammartino. Its storyline centres on discovery and exploration of the almost 700 metre deep Bifurto Abyss in the caves of Pollino in southern Italy in August 1961.
The film was released on 3 September 2021. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, and won the Special Jury Prize. The film is Frammartino's third feature length release.

Plot

In 1961, a group of speleologists from the north of Italy start a descent into the Abisso di Bifurto, also known as the "Wolf Pit". The previous year, a group had reached a depth of 440 metres in a descent, however the cave, being 683 metres deep, has not been explored to its full depth, and thus the explorers have no maps to rely on during their descent. Local shepherds are able to advise them of the entrance to the cave. In parallel to their descent, we see footage of an old shepherd, in agony, and his journey from life to death. The arrival of the explorers at the bottom of the abyss and death of the shepherd happen in unison. The nearby town relies on a TV in the town square for its news, and two explorers from the original descent, Beppe de Matteis and Giulio Gecchele, see news of the new group reaching the bottom of the cave, and are moved by this. The film features almost no dialogue, and as with Frammartino's other films, belongs to the slow cinema genre.

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipientResult
European Film AwardBest Sound DesignerSimone Paolo Olivero, Paolo Benvenuti, Benni Atria, Marco Saitta, Ansgar Frerich, Florian HolznerWon
London Film FestivalBest FilmMichelangelo FrammartinoNomitated
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film FestivalGrand Newcomer AwardMichelangelo FrammartinoWon
Seville European Film FestivalGolden GiraldilloMichelangelo FrammartinoNomitated
Venice Film FestivalGolden LionMichelangelo FrammartinoNomitated
Venice Film FestivalSpecial Jury PrizeIl bucoWon