Pietro Marcello's loose adaptation of Pinocchio-adjacent fairy tale mythology is a visually ravishing, emotionally rich film � an Italian-French co-production that found its US audience through MUBI after its acclaimed European release.
Marcello's Fairy Tale
Pietro Marcello, whose previous films (Martin Eden, L'Envol) have established him as one of Italian cinema's finest stylists, brings his distinctive blend of archival imagery and contemporary drama to fairy tale territory with Scarlet. The film follows a wounded soldier who returns home to find his daughter has inherited a magical gift � and the village that fears her for it. Marcello's visual approach is extraordinary: he integrates restored 1910s-1920s footage into the film's fabric in a way that makes the world feel genuinely timeless.
"Marcello conjures a world that feels both ancient and contemporary. Scarlet is ravishing cinema � lyrical, fierce, and unlike anything else currently in theaters."
� The GuardianThe Verdict
For adventurous audiences willing to meet the film on its own terms, Scarlet is one of the year's most rewarding discoveries. Seek it out on MUBI.
Pietro Marcello's loose adaptation of Pinocchio-adjacent fairy tale mythology is a visually ravishing, emotionally rich film � an Italian-French co-production that found its US audience through MUBI after its acclaimed European release.