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The American Backyard

Play trailer Poster for The American Backyard 2024 1h 47m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Bologna, 1940. A young man falls desperately in love with a nurse of the American army. A year later, circumstances lead him to live in the American Midwest, right next to an ominous backyard, where the elderly mother of the nurse lives. The woman is desperate for her daughter, who, since the end of the conflict, has disappeared. The young man embarks on a tense search for the girl, experiencing a particularly dramatic situation, leading to an entirely unexpected conclusion back in Italy.

Critics Reviews

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Rebecca Sayce FILMHOUNDS Magazine Avati once more showcases his expert grasp of creating a palpable sense of dread and doom through the most simple of images, with his latest offering embodying the malevolence and unsettling energy that has run throughout his filmography. Rated: 3/5 Jul 23, 2025 Full Review Joel Harley Starburst The American Backyard is a deeply strange late-career entry from a genre giant of old. Dark and unsettling in a way one can’t pin down, it’s brimming with a devious energy, barely buried beneath the surface of a deliberately composed period thriller. Rated: 4/5 Mar 10, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Pupi Avati

Director

Filippo Scotti

Actor

Rita Tushingham

Actor

Armando De Ceccon

Actor

Roberto De Francesco

Actor

Chiara Caselli

Actor

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The American Backyard

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Movie Info

Synopsis Bologna, 1940. A young man falls desperately in love with a nurse of the American army. A year later, circumstances lead him to live in the American Midwest, right next to an ominous backyard, where the elderly mother of the nurse lives. The woman is desperate for her daughter, who, since the end of the conflict, has disappeared. The young man embarks on a tense search for the girl, experiencing a particularly dramatic situation, leading to an entirely unexpected conclusion back in Italy.
Director
Pupi Avati
Screenwriter
Pupi Avati, Tommaso Avati
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Italian
Runtime
1h 47m