Derborence

Having competed in Cannes in 1985, Derborence, an alpine drama based on Ramuz’s novel about a married couple whose existence is upended when he is presumed dead, left an indelible mark on the Piazza Grande audience that same year.

Such was often the case with the Vevey-born Francis Reusser, a longtime friend of the Festival who passed away in Geneva in April 2020. After the tribute paid to him in 2018 with three restorations, the Cinémathèque suisse returns to Locarno to honor him with this 4K upgrade that makes the film’s painfully beautiful visuals even more striking. A fitting way to fondly remember one of Switzerland’s foremost filmmakers in the city he always loved visiting.

Max Borg