A horror story in the Alps: where Remis, the eerie village from The Valley of Smiles, really is.

“ I wanted to create a country, a community that was itself a character where there are no good and bad guys but just people who move from one side or the other, from protagonism to antagonism, depending on their need to shake off suffering " explained Paolo Strippoli at Venice 82, where his film Valley of Smiles was previewed, in cinemas from 17 September.

He stated that the fictional community of Remis—the seemingly idyllic Alpine village where the story is set—had to be believable: an isolated place that protects, but also isolates. Not an extreme community, but close to what real Italy offers, with a horizon that shifts between ritual and normality.

And to build this cinematic version of Remis, Strippoli chose real locations, authentic mountains where austere nature takes center stage.

What is the movie about?

Hidden in the folds of a remote valley, the village of Remis seems straight out of a postcard: quiet, picturesque, inhabited by unusually serene people. It is here that Sergio Rossetti , a new physical education teacher with a troubled past, played by Michele Riondino , hopes to finally find peace. But the tranquility of the village hides a dark secret .

Thanks to his growing bond with Michela, the young local innkeeper, Sergio discovers the existence of a disturbing nightly ritual: once a week, the entire community gathers to hold Matteo Corbin , a boy mysteriously able to absorb the pain of others. When Sergio attempts to shatter this unhealthy balance to save Matteo, he ends up reawakening the darker side of the local idol: the so-called "Angel of Remis."

Where was it filmed?

Filming for The Valley of Smiles took place between August and October 2024 in various locations in Friuli Venezia Giulia , particularly in Tarvisio, Sappada, and other areas in the province of Udine, such as Malborghetto, Pontebba, and Valbruna. At over 1,200 meters above sea level, Sappada is surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, dense forests, waterfalls, and imposing peaks like Mount Peralba .

These areas are chosen not only for their scenic beauty, but also for their isolated characteristics: mountains, narrow valleys, natural boundaries. These are places that can shape the idea of ​​a "protected community" yet suspended, almost frozen in time—perfect for a horror film that relies more on a sense of emotional rhythm than on jump scares and extreme symbolism.

Strippoli states, " The mountains isolate and protect, and that's all the community of Remis needs." Using Tarvisio, Sappada, and other municipalities in Friuli Venezia Giulia allowed the film to blend reality and fiction. The Alps surrounding these towns have an intense visual power: dense forests, mountain roads, sudden fogs, hidden ditches—elements that help create the balance between apparent serenity and latent tension that characterizes The Valley of Smiles.

" Italy is full of extra-canonical phenomena, and I think what we imagined for our story represents something plausible, filmed in Friuli Venezia Giulia between the mountains of Tarvisio and Sappada, one bordering Slovenia, the other bordering Veneto, " said Strippoli, emphasizing that the production's intention was to create a world that wasn't a community with the extreme traits of films like The Wicker Man , which remains a great reference for him. " We tried to build and design one that was fairly close to the reality of our Italy."

The mountain as protagonist

The film's photography exploits these real landscapes to create contrasts between light and shadow , open spaces and enclosed corners, silence and ambient sound. In these locations, the mountain almost becomes a character : not just a set, but a central figure that influences the bodies, sensations, and relationships between the characters.

The choice not to overdo it with extreme symbols or overly "living dead" rituals, as Strippoli intended, is made more effective by these locations, which remain believable. The use of real Alpine landscapes , with villages that centuries of abandonment, slow development, or isolation have allowed to evolve "naturally," gives strength to the fiction: Remis never appears totally unreal, but distant, suspended, believable in its own ways.

In this sense, Friuli Venezia Giulia proved to be the perfect fit for the director's vision. The mountains of Tarvisio and the plateaus of Sappada are not mere decorations, but structural elements of the narrative.