Gomorrah
The title of the new film by director is a grim pun on Camorra, the name of Italy's less well-known mafia, based in Naples. Adapted by from his of the same name, Gomorrah follows the stories of different characters caught up in what is called the System - a structure not dissimilar to what is known in as the Game but even more pervasive. Saviano is now living in hiding, protected by numerous bodyguards and will never be able to return to the area where he grew up. He has obviously really annoyed some very powerful people, and having read the book and seen the film I'm frankly amazed that he's still alive.
Here's the trailer. I would only recommend watching the first minute or so, however, as there's a rather big spoiler towards the end.
I have no idea what the body count is in the film, but the figures quoted in the book are terrifying. Born in 1979, Saviano quotes the number of those killed in his lifetime as 3,600 - more than the IRA, the Russian mafia, ETA and the Sicilian mafia. He describes both the society that has evolved with the System and also the international implications of their involvement in the drugs, building, fashion and arms trades. Any pretence of being constrained by the same code of honour and family loyalty associated with Cosa Nostra has been dropped by the Camorra. The horror of their ruthlessness knows no bounds and it makes depressing reading and watching.
Comparing this film with classic gangster movies like and is instructive because it is just so grim; nobody could accuse Garrone of making a film that glorifies violence. It's horribly gruelling, and the episodic nature of the film - it features some recurring characters but often people just appear briefly and then die - makes the experience feel unrelenting. That doesn't mean, however, that some retailers won't take advantage of heightened interest in the mafia. I was looking through one of the London freesheets yesterday, and not only did they have Gomorrah on their "To Do List" but they managed to work in a full-page advert for a box set of gangster movies "Celebrating 25 years of Tony Montana". Hmmm, nice. After seeing Gomorrah the last thing you'd want to do is celebrate the mafia.
Matteo Garrone was a painter before he became a filmmaker and the film looks good. The whole thing has the feel of a heightened documentary, an impression reinforced by excellent performances, in particular Salvatore Cantalupo as the tailor Pasquale and Gianfelice Imparato as Don Ciro. While the book gives an overview of how the System works internationally the film is necessarily a series of glimpses into different parts of the chain - the port, the sites where toxic waste is dumped and the dusty street - but the wider context is missing. Despite the obvious conviction of the director, the unvarying tone means that it lacks the artistry of grim but brilliant films such as or Michael Haneke's . I'm not sorry I saw Gomorrah, but I never want to have to watch it again.
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