Opera

The events occur in a contemporary European milieu typical of the late 1980s, with a grand opera house, payphones, and a mix of backstage glamour and crime. The plot unfolds over a couple of nights, blending theatrical life with a creeping sense of dread. This era emphasizes practical effects and a sensorial atmosphere rather than modern digital technology.

The Parma Opera House is the central setting, where live ravens and Verdi's Macbeth frame a tension-filled performance. Backstage and in the balcony boxes, the theatre becomes a site of murder, fear, and manipulation. The story also moves to a secluded house in the Swiss Alps, providing a stark contrast between the opulent urban stage and remote, wintry isolation.

🔪 Obsession

Obsession drives much of the violence, as the killer pursues women linked to Betty's past and the memory of her mother. The theatre becomes a stage for ritualized punishment and control. Love, jealousy, and artistic vanity intertwine to fuel a lethal fixation. The narrative threads reveal how fixation can transmute art into danger.

🌙 Trauma

Betty's nightmares and memories of her deceased mother shape her reactions to danger and influence her sense of self. Past traumas resurface under the pressure of performance and murder, blurring the line between dream and reality. The film uses nightmare imagery to foreground the long shadow cast by family history. Resilience emerges as Betty confronts the ghosts of the past.

🎭 Performance

The opera world serves as both stage and battleground, where artistry, sexuality, and violence collide. The idea of staging a killer during a performance heightens danger and forces characters to act under pressure. The ravens and macabre motifs link theatre to fate, suggesting that performance and peril are inseparable. The narrative probes how art can mirror, mask, or incite violence.

🕵️ Investigation

The pursuit of the killer unfolds through investigation, misdirection, and revelation. Authority figures become entangled in personal obsessions, complicating justice. The resolution hinges on uncovering connections between Betty's past, Santini's fixation, and the crimes themselves. The drama of detection blends with psychological unraveling as the truth emerges.