Leo is the only child of their eldest brother, Luciano ( Fabrizio Ferracane), an eccentric hot-head who has chosen to herd goats instead of going into business. The action is about to shift to Calabria and the ancient, crumbling, crime-ridden town of Africo. ![]() The first sequences foster the expectation that this is going to be an update on Visconti’s classic southerners-in-Milan story Rocco and His Brothers, but guess again. He also frowns on their teenage nephew Leo (newcomer Giuseppe Fumo) turning up in Milan to work. Rocco is always disapproving of Luigi’s spontaneous activities, like stealing a couple of goats and butchering them for lunch. There he works with brother Rocco ( Peppino Mazzotta), who is the sober accountant of the family, a family man in glasses and a suit married to a northerner ( Barbora Bobulova). In Amsterdam, he does a deal with some Spanish partners before returning to his base in Milan. The first brother is the fascinating Luigi ( Marco Leonardi of Nuovo Cinema Paradiso and Like Water for Chocolate), a cocky fellow who always has a little smile on his face. But though it doesn’t have Gomorra‘s comprehension problems, it also lacks that film’s iconic cinematic imagery and seems ultimately far less memorable. The story itself avoids the complicated structure of Matteo Garrone’s arty Gomorra, suggesting audiences will have an easier time digesting the tragedy of three brothers. Here, the sober naturalism of the acting (most of the cast is known for their stage work) and the heartbreaking beauty of the wild Aspromonte mountains on the Mediterranean coast leave a strong impression that the viewer is being taken behind the scenes of a criminal family that still raises goats while it runs an international drug ring. Munzi’s career was launched with two sensitive immigrant dramas, Saimir and The Rest of the Night this is his big step up to Venice competition and more mainstream audiences. ![]() Venice Bowing 'Tatami' From Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi Lands Global Sales (Exclusive) Yet audiences weaned on The Godfather and shoot-’em-up mafia series like The Octopus could find a lack of blood-curdling excitement in this dark psychological tale, more blood feud than gang war. The film communicates an unusual authenticity that will win it kudos and much festival exposure. But how many ways can you say “violence begets violence”?īlack Souls (Anime nere), based on a novel by Gioacchino Criaco and directed by award-winning auteur Francesco Munzi, chooses the classic route of Greek tragedy, which is a natural match for the hard-faced, tight-lipped characters who spiral into general disaster. Between the Sicilian mafia, the Neapolitan camorra, the Sacra Corona Unita in Puglia and the ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria, Italy has enough organized crime to power an army of film and TV dramas.
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