A Quiet Place in the Country

Renowned visual artist who relocates to the Italian countryside to reboot his career. He becomes obsessively focused on restoring the dilapidated villa, treating it as a canvas for his work. His fixation escalates into controlling, violent behavior, culminating in murder and the use of bodies in his paintings. By the end, he is incarcerated in a psychiatric institution, haunted by his art.

Leonardo’s girlfriend and gallery owner who presses him to work so she can sell his paintings. She joins the restoration in the countryside but grows frightened by the estate’s atmosphere. Her presence and the escalating danger contribute to the film’s turmoil, and she ultimately becomes a victim of Leonardo’s violence. Her art interests persist, as she later purchases paintings for her gallery.

A young countess whose death on the property during a World War II airstrike becomes a focal point of rumor and memory. Her affairs with men like Attilo and others feed the estate’s charged history. Wanda’s memory is invoked through the one-way mirror room and the shadows it casts over the villa’s present.

The villa’s longtime caretaker whose history with Wanda ties the estate to a violent past. He reveals the one-way mirror room used for secret encounters and confesses involvement in the murder of a German soldier, helping to bury the body on the property. He also indicates Wanda’s death was tied to the airstrike the same day.

Wanda’s destitute mother living in Venice, who holds mementos of Wanda and reveals references to her daughter’s life. She provides essential fragments of Wanda’s history through objects like a red satin dress, grounding the villa’s lore in tangible memories. Her role underscores the intergenerational impact of Wanda’s story.

The villa’s housekeeper hired by Leonardo. She becomes entangled in the estate’s dark turn as Leonardo binds her and her boyfriend and uses their bodies in his paintings. Her awareness of the uncanny events marks her as a witness to the villa’s sinister transformation.

A local butcher who provides Wanda-related background by referencing her affairs. He directs Leonardo to Wanda’s ailing mother and becomes a conduit for the estate’s grim history. His role anchors the community’s perspective on Wanda’s life and the villa’s secrets.