Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Gomorrah
Directed by Mateo Garrone
E1 Video Canada 09/08 DVD/VHS Feature Film
Not Rated

Italian organized crime permeates all aspects of life in contemporary Italy. According to Robert Saviano. the author of the novel Gomorrah which has sold more than 1,200,000 copies, the "System" or Camorra has murdered 4,000 people, more than any other criminal organization or terrorist group. While most of us would guess that they earn money through illegal drugs, arms trafficking, or the protection racket, it is a fact that they have infiltrated other arenas as well including tourism, transport, textiles, supermarkets, cinemas, and banking. Thanks to this broad sweep of illegal activity, Camorra can employ workers in every class and age group.

Matteo Garrone directs this gritty and fast-paced Italian drama. It focuses on five stories about players in the "System" in the slums and provinces of Naples.

• Toto is a 13-year-old kid who lives with his single mother. His father is serving time in jail. He wants a better life and is convinced that he can earn a lot of money as a drug-carrier.

• Marco and Ciro are two selfish and violent teenagers whose greed propels them to step beyond the parameters of the don they work for. They pull off several robberies and even steal a cache of weapons. To the amoral men who employ them, they are as annoying as mosquitoes and as easily dispatched.

• Pasquale is a gifted tailor who works for the Camorra in the haute couture clothes industry. When he goes out on his own to serve as a teacher for some Chinese competitors, he puts his life in danger.

• Don Ciro pays the families of the prisoners in his clan and thinks that he stands outside of the violence swirling around him in the slums of the city. Soon he is living in fear and wearing a bullet-proof vest under his clothes.

• Roberto lands a prestigious job with Franco, who is a major player in the toxic waste management field. This dimension of the story is the one that most vividly speaks to the vile nature of Camorra which is responsible for poisoning farmlands and contributing to the rise of cancer among residents of Southern Italy.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat