The girl in the fog (The Girl in the Fog; orig. title: The girl in the fog) is a 2017 Italian drama crime thriller film directed by Donato Carrisi from a screenplay by Donato Carrisi. The film premiered in Italy on 26 October 2017.
In a small and seemingly peaceful mountain town, a sixteen-year-old girl disappears. The case is taken over by the charismatic but deeply contradictory Inspector Vogel (Tony Servillo) — a detective known for his ability to manipulate the media and turn an investigation into a public spectacle.
The wintry atmosphere, the thick fog, and the gloomy mood of the town gradually reveal that the local community is hiding more secrets than it seems. Vogel begins to suspect Teacher Langer (Alessio Boni) — a respectable, calm, and seemingly innocent man whose life slowly crumbles under media pressure and public lynching.
As the investigation progresses, manipulation becomes a central theme: who is telling the truth, who is lying, and to what extent can the media destroy a person's life before there is even evidence?
The film builds tension not through spectacular action, but through psychological clashes, understatements, and a slowly growing sense that the truth is much more complex than it seems.
Tony Servillo (Inspector Vogel) builds a detective who is both admirable and loathsome: intelligent, chillingly cool, and willing to sacrifice the truth if it brings popularity. One of his strongest roles in recent years.
Alessio Boni (Professor Langer) is emotional, vulnerable and human. Bonnie creates a picture of a man caught in the demons of public opinion, with no chance to prove his own innocence.
Jean Reno (Psychiatrist Flores) – although his role is rather peripheral, Reno brings weight and calm wisdom — a character who views the case as a psychological mechanism, not as a pure crime.
Donato Carrisi makes an impressive directorial debut, completely controlling the mood — cold, muted, shrouded in fog.
The film is created with a rhythm typical of European auteur cinema – slower, attentive to detail, relying on dialogue and psychological tension. The camera often lingers on the characters' faces to emphasize something key – in this film, truth is a matter of perspective and everyone hides a small part of the mystery.
The girl in the fog is tight, smart, different from Hollywood thrillers, and with an atmosphere that lingers long after the final credits.
