This utterly stylish and captivating Swiss mystery-thriller probably won't ever become world-famous or even very popular among genre fanatics, but it's something totally unique and definitely worth checking out in case you have a soft spot for old-fashioned & story-driven European folklore tales. "Marmorera" is the name of a small village in the Swiss Alps that disappeared under the water of a large lake during the 1950's as a result of a malfunctioning dam. With the return of Dr. Cavegn (whose roots lie in Marmorera) to a nearby city, the sunken town's restless spirit comes to life again and spawns a gorgeous but silent young girl to the surface of the lake. Shortly after, the last original inhabitants of Marmorera which fled to the new village start to die in horrible and mysterious accidents. Dr. Cavegn is convinced there's a connection between the deaths of the villagers and the young woman, especially since the riddles she speaks refer to the accidents. Simon quickly becomes obsessed with the patient he named Julia and nearly loses his wife, job and life during the research he does. Markus Fischer's "Marmorera" is a complex film with an extremely confusing script and I honestly have to admit I didn't fully understand everything that was shown on the screen. Especially the end sequences remained frustratingly vague and don't reveal anything you hadn't figured out already. But I do know "Marmorera" is a beautiful and haunting supernatural mystery that effectively combines horror elements with subtle drama and mythical fantasy elements. The atmosphere is constantly ominous and Fischer creates an almost unbearable level of suspense without reverting to any kind of special and/or computer engineered effects. The characters apart from the luscious mermaid Julia come across like real people with dark secrets and sincere emotions and you're honestly interested in figuring out their backgrounds. Sadly the script is very sparingly with clues and it almost feels like Markus Fischer doesn't want his audiences to try and unravel the mysteries of Marmorera themselves. The music is staggering and even the dialogs are fun to listen to, as the Swiss language more or less sounds like a mixture between Dutch and German. The acting performances are far above average. In her film debut as Julia, the Belgian dancer turned actress Eva Dewaele doesn't have to speak a lot, but her appearance is enchanting and almost magical. Anatole Taubman is excellent as the obsessive investigator Simon and Mavie Hörbiger as his loving and understanding wife is even better.
