Review: The Girl with the Leica
- VENICE 2026: Alina Marazzi follows Gerda Taro in her endeavour to document the Spanish Civil War, which led her to become the first female photojournalist to have died on a frontline
Alina Marazzi’s The Girl with the Leica has just had its world premiere as the opening film of the Orizzonti section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The film, scripted by the director and Valia Santella, is a loose adaptation of Helena Janeczek’s novel La ragazza con la Leica, itself based on the life and work of German war photographer Gerda Taro, born Gerda Pohorylle. As a left-leaning Jew, Taro (played by Emilia Schüle) was forced to flee to Paris when the Nazi party came to power. There, she met photojournalist Endre Friedmann (Aaron Altaras), who became her companion, and learned photography. During their relationship, they created a shared alias, Robert Capa, which he then kept while she changed her surname to Taro. The young woman, also openly anti-fascist and engaged in intensive coverage of the Spanish Civil War, was killed there in 1937, thus becoming the first female photojournalist to be killed on a battlefield.
The Girl with the Leica has a great deal to say about the life of its protagonist, all the while maintaining a clear vision in its aesthetic choices. The film depicts Taro's growing commitment to using her camera as a means of resisting fascism as well as her determination to document the war, which is in itself a commendable topic for a feature, but the director also manages to do a fine job of bringing together all of the different aspects of the film to deliver a consistent and cohesive narrative, allowing the scenes to follow one another in a compelling order and at an equally convincing pace. The work of Chilean-Danish cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro here is nothing short of outstanding, and thanks to Ilaria Fraioli’s editing work, all of the scenes are enhanced by the order in which they are presented.
However, Emilia Schüle’s extraordinary performance is certainly the film’s strongest element. The frequent close-ups of her face draw the audience deep into her world, and her captivating expressions make her feel like a real person, rather than a mere character on the screen – something that does not always happen in biographical films. For that matter, the whole cast is strong, the actors well-chosen and their performances nicely calibrated.
There is also much to be said for Giada Calabria’s splendid production design, which pairs well with Bettina Pontiggia’s costumes. The varied locations and settings give the movie a broad scope, and the top-notch soundtrack is seamlessly woven into the story. As a result, The Girl with the Leica will appeal not only to those viewers who love a true story, especially those interested in 20th-century history, but also to more casual audiences, as it works very well as a standalone narrative – and would still be impactful even if it were entirely fictional. The fact that it tells the story of such an important yet little-known figure just makes it even more compelling – a truly worthwhile watch.
The Girl with the Leica was staged as an Italian-German co-production by Vivo Film and Rai Cinema with Komplizen Film, in co-production with ZDF/ARTE, Eolo Film Productions, Film i Väst and Zentropa Sweden. Fandango Sales acquired the film’s international sales rights ahead of its Venice world premiere.
Photogallery 02/09/2026: Venice 2026 - La ragazza con la Leica
13 pictures available. Swipe left or right to see them all.
© 2026 Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa - fadege.it, @fadege.it
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