What Is The Girl by the Lake About?
The premise of The Girl by the Lake in 239 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the quiet valleys of Friuli‑Venezia Giulia, a small lake becomes the focal point of a community that has long lived under the weight of its own histories. When a teenage girl is discovered on its banks, the serenity of the isolated village is shattered, exposing the tight‑knit network of relationships that bind its residents together. The pristine alpine setting, with fog‑laden mornings and the echo of distant ski lifts, creates a haunting backdrop where every ripple in the water feels like a secret waiting to surface.
The investigation falls to Commissario Sanzio, a seasoned officer known for his methodical approach, and ispettore Lorenzo Siboldi, a younger detective whose intuition often clashes with procedure. Their partnership blends experience with restless curiosity, forcing both to navigate not only the forensic clues but also the unspoken tensions that run through the town’s collective memory. As they interview locals—teachers, athletes, families—they are drawn into a web of familiarity where neighbors know more about each other than they ever admit.
Against this atmospheric canvas, the film unfolds as a slow‑burning meditation on loss, guilt, and the ways a community confronts the unknown. The tone is simultaneously intimate and oppressive, with the lake’s stillness mirroring the characters’ internal stillness as they sift through whispers and half‑truths. Every conversation hints at deeper undercurrents, and the audience is invited to feel the weight of unanswered questions that linger long after the sun sets over the water.
What Happens in The Girl by the Lake?
The complete story of The Girl by the Lake, from the first scene to the last, in 514 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 7 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Marta, Nicole Perrone, is a young girl who accepts a ride from a disabled man, Mario Franco Ravera, and spends several hours with him and his father, Omero Antonutti, before returning home. When she is reported missing by her family, the local police are brought in to help search for her, and the case quickly draws in a broader circle of the community.
Mario returns Marta home safely, but the pair report that they found the body of a young girl by the lake. This discovery sets off a murder investigation that pulls in the entire village, a tight-knit and isolated place where everyone knows each other, and where the killer is presumed to have grown up among them. The investigation unfolds with a careful, methodical approach as investigators question those who were close to the victims and those with potential motives.
The case quickly shifts into high gear as Commissario Sanzio Toni Servillo and ispettore Lorenzo Siboldi Fausto Maria Sciarappa begin tilting their attention toward the victims’ world: a young high school hockey player, Anna, is found dead and naked on the banks of Lake Fusine near Tarvisio in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The shocking discovery rocks a small community and compels investigators to read every clue in the context of personal histories and long-held grievances. The investigation becomes a town-wide effort, with neighbors and relatives drawn into the scrutiny as the police peel back layers of secrecy and fear.
Initial leads point toward Anna’s boyfriend, Denis Fasolo, and toward her hockey coach, a figure with a troubling past who had prior convictions for sexual assault. The backpack Anna had worn on the morning of her death turns up in Roberto’s possession, complicating the narrative and forcing the detectives to reassess what they thought they knew. The more the police dig, the more it becomes clear that nothing is straightforward, and the truth may lie in a difficult intertwining of tragedy, loyalties, and unspoken guilt.
The village and its people become central to the mystery, a place where the line between innocent and guilty is blurred by shared histories and the weight of past events. The investigation delves into painful memories, revealing how a single decision or moment can ripple through families and forever alter the lives of those left behind.
Eight months earlier, Anna had begun to withdraw after being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Around the same period, Angelo, the child Anna babysat, died from choking while under the care of his father, Corrado Canali Fabrizio Gifuni. These intertwined timelines haunt the case and color the officers’ understanding of motive and opportunity, casting a long shadow over every suspect’s alibi and every confession that surfaces.
Ultimately, the truth comes into sharp focus: Corrado Canali murdered Anna, a crime born from a deep-seated grievance over Angelo’s death and the way that tragedy had shaped Anna’s life. The revelation closes a painful circle that began with a chance encounter and spiraled into a village-wide injustice, leaving the investigators to reckon with the quiet costs of a crime that shook a community to its core.
The Girl by the Lake Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Marta accepts a ride from Mario” to “Motive clarified and case concluded”. 12 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Marta accepts a ride from Mario
A young girl named Marta accepts a lift from a disabled man, Mario, who takes her to play with his rabbits. She spends several hours with him and his father, Antonutti, before returning to her family. The encounter sets off a chain of events that will bring the village into the investigation.
Where:Rural village near Tarvisio
- 2
Marta goes missing
Marta is reported missing by her family, triggering a search across the village. Local authorities are mobilized, and Policeman Giovanni Sanzio is called in by the local cop Lorenzo Siboldi to help look for her. The disappearance raises tension and fear in the tight-knit community.
Where:The village
- 3
Mario and Marta report a body by the lake
After returning Marta home, Mario and Marta report that they found the body of a young girl by the lake. The claim shifts the focus to an imminent and dangerous investigation. Authorities begin comparing the new information with the ongoing search.
Where:On the way back to the village and the lake
- 4
Police discover Anna's body
Investigators locate the body of a young high school hockey player named Anna on the banks of Lake Fusine near Tarvisio. The discovery confirms a murder and intensifies the investigation into who in the isolated village could be responsible.
Where:Lake Fusine, Tarvisio
- 5
Initial suspects are questioned
The police interrogate Anna's boyfriend Roberto and her hockey coach, who have potential motives and a troubled past, including the coach's prior convictions for sexual assault. The interviews aim to establish alibis and uncover hidden connections. The small-town environment makes everyone a potential suspect.
Where:Village/police station
- 6
Anna's recent changes and illness emerge
Investigators learn that Anna had recently become withdrawn and had been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour around eight months earlier. This development complicates the case, suggesting personal pressures as well as possible external threats. The timeline links her health to the emotional strain in the village.
When:around 8 months ago Where:Anna's life
- 7
Angelo's death coincides with Anna's illness
Around the same time, Angelo, the child Anna babysat, dies from choking while under Corrado's care. This tragedy ties Corrado to the shadowy events surrounding Anna and Angelo and deepens the mystery of the village's past eight months.
When:around 8 months ago Where:Corrado's home / babysitting setting
- 8
Corrado's link to the case grows
As the investigation progresses, Corrado, Angelo's father, becomes a central figure due to his connection to both Angelo's death and Anna's recent turmoil. The mounting evidence points toward a personal motive rooted in past harms.
Where:Village vicinity
- 9
Corrado becomes the killer's profile
It emerges that Corrado harbored guilt and anger over Angelo's death, which shapes a possible motive for harming Anna. The investigators begin to view Corrado as a potential perpetrator based on emotional and circumstantial evidence. The village starts to turn its suspicions toward him.
Where:Village
- 10
Corrado is revealed as Anna's killer
It eventually transpires that Corrado murdered Anna, tying together the earlier family tragedies and personal guilt. The confession reframes the entire case as a desperate act of revenge or guilt-ridden violence. The community comes to terms with the revelation.
Where:Lake Fusine / village
- 11
The village closes in on the truth
With Corrado's involvement exposed, the investigation tightens around the small, isolated village where everyone knows each other. The close-knit community becomes the backdrop for the final push to understand what happened and why. The case closes as investigators piece together the sequence of events.
Where:The village
- 12
Motive clarified and case concluded
The motive is clarified: Corrado could not forgive Angelo's death, which led to the murder of Anna. The resolution explains the cascade of grief, guilt, and retribution that drove the crime. The investigators wrap up the case and the village confronts the implications of the tragedy.
Where:Tarvisio region
Who Are the Main Characters in The Girl by the Lake?
13 characters, among them Marta, Mario and Padre di Mario: who each one is and the part they play in the story. 12 of them link to the actor’s page.
- M
Marta
Played by Nicole Perrone
A young girl who accepts a ride from a disabled man, spending hours with him before being reported missing. Her return triggers a murder investigation that exposes the town's fragile balance and hidden tensions.
- 👶 Child
- 🕵️♀️ Mystery
- 💔 Victim
- M
Mario
Played by Franco Ravera
A quiet, disabled man who befriends Marta and owns rabbits; his relationship with his father becomes central to the case. His kindness may mask secrets the investigators must uncover.
- ♿ Disability
- 🐇 Rabbit owner
- 🕵️ Mystery
- PD
Padre di Mario
Played by Omero Antonutti
The elder Mario's father, whose presence underscores family dynamics and the weight of past events in the pursuit of the truth.
- 👨 Family
- 🗝️ Secrets
- 🕵️ Investigation
-
Commissario Sanzio
Played by Toni Servillo
The lead investigator tasked with solving the murder and unearthing truth beneath village gossip. He weighs evidence and questions suspects to move the case forward.
- 👮 Law
- 🕵️ Investigation
- 🧭 Mystery
- IL
Ispettore Lorenzo Sobalddi
Played by Fausto Maria Sciarappa
A local inspector coordinating the search, whose familiarity with the community helps him see through rumors while confronting the town's secrets.
- 👮 Law
- 🕵️ Investigation
- 🧭 Community
- AN
Anna Nadal
Played by Alessia Piovan
A high school hockey player recently diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor; in the months before her death, she shifts from outgoing to withdrawn.
- 🏒 Athlete
- 💔 Tragedy
- 🧠 Health
- CC
Corrado Canali
Played by Fabrizio Gifuni
Father of Angelo, later revealed as Anna's killer; his motive stems from revenge for Angelo's death and the burden of guilt he carries.
- 👨 Family
- 🗡️ Murder
- 🧠 Guilt
- A
Angelo
The child who died from choking while in Corrado's care; this tragedy fuels long-simmering anger and becomes a driving force in the present case.
- 👶 Child
- ⚰️ Death
- 🕵️ Mystery
- R
Roberto
Played by Denis Fasolo
Anna's boyfriend, initially a primary suspect, found with Anna's backpack and questioned as the investigation unfolds.
- 💑 Relationship
- 🕵️ Investigation
- 🔎 Suspicion
- DG
Dottoressa Giani
Played by Sara D'Amario
A medical examiner providing medical context on Anna's condition and the case through forensic insight.
- ⚖️ Forensic
- 🧬 Medical
- 🧠 Health
- DN
Davide Nadal
Played by Marco Baliani
Father figure in the Nadal family; presents support while navigating the tensions surrounding Anna's loss.
- 👨 Family
- 🗝️ Secrets
- 🕵️ Investigation
- SN
Silvia Nadal
Played by Heidi Caldart
Mother of Anna Nadal; her grief illustrates the impact of tragedy on families and the community.
- 👩 Family
- 🕊️ Grief
- 🕵️ Investigation
- F
Francesca
Played by Giulia Michelini
A local figure whose connections add another layer to the network of motives and relationships surrounding the case.
- 👩 Social ties
- 🗝️ Secrets
- 🕵️ Investigation
Where and When Is The Girl by the Lake Set?
The Girl by the Lake is set in Lake Fusine, Tarvisio and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Lake Fusine, Tarvisio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Lake Fusine near Tarvisio in Friuli-Venezia Giulia provides the setting for the crime. The small, secluded village atmosphere heightens distrust as neighbors suspect one another. The lake's shoreline and surrounding woods become the focal points of the investigation.
- 🏞️ Lake setting
- 🏘️ Isolated village
- 🕵️️ Mystery
What Are the Themes of The Girl by the Lake?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Small Town Secrets, Trauma and Guilt and Investigation and Truth.
-
01
Small Town Secrets
The murder disrupts a tight-knit community where everyone knows each other. Gossip and suspicion spread as investigators sift through rumors and appearances. Long-buried past relationships and loyalties come under scrutiny as the truth slowly emerges.
-
02
Trauma and Guilt
Anna's brain tumor diagnosis and Angelo's death haunt multiple characters, shaping their choices and perceptions. The film explores how grief and guilt influence behavior and inform motives. The killer's motive is tied to a past tragedy neither individuals nor the town want to confront.
-
03
Investigation and Truth
The inquiry blends police work with intimate village knowledge, challenging initial suspicions and misdirections. Hidden histories and personal ties complicate who could be capable of murder. Resolution hinges on uncovering a single act of reckoning from the past.
What Kind of Film Is The Girl by the Lake?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Sad
A dark and melancholic murder mystery that steadily builds tension in a secluded mountain town, uncovering layers of grief and hidden trauma beneath a somber and oppressive atmosphere.
- suspenseful
- melancholic
- oppressive
- quiet
- somber
- tense
- crime investigation
- grief and loss
- small town secrets
- murder
Content notes: murder, corpse, death of a child, terminal illness, underage sex.
