Review: Il Fungo Sirena

Director - Stefan Archetti

Goats, cheese, mushrooms, and a sleepy Italian village during the summer holidays is the setting for Il Fungo Sirena (The Mermaid Mushroom), directed by Stefan Archetti.

The story revolves around Saverio and Augusto, two young boys living with their aunt and uncle following the deaths of their parents in a car accident. Over the course of a single summer we watch both boys develop. Alongside this, the return from the United States of a former villager sets tongues wagging in the community before both plots clash into each other.

There is a lot to like about the film. The Italian Alps and village look wonderful, and if for nothing else, the film is something of a love letter to the area. The plot it has to be said is very loose, with no real spine. It is a film about a community more than it is about the individuals within it. Whether an audience would have the patience for this at the films current running time remains to be seen.

The film reaches a natural conclusion but there is still some 15 minutes to go after that. Some sharper editing, not only at the end but during the film itself, would work in its favour. At present it feels like the director is unwilling to lose scenes that he is in love with. A more brutal editor could clear up the narrative and really improve the piece.

Notwithstanding this, Archetti demonstrates a lot of potential and is someone to watch in the future.

For more information on Il Fungo Sirena please visit the official website - click