Gomorrah
Directed by Matteo Garrone
- drama
- crime
The story
An inside look at Italy's modern-day crime families, the Camorra in Naples and Caserta. Based on a book by Roberto Saviano. Power, money and blood: these are the "values" that the residents of the Province of Naples and Caserta have to face every day. They hardly ever have a choice and are forced to obey the rules of the Camorra. Only a lucky few can even think of leading a normal life.
What it’s like
Gritty, washed-out daylight and handheld, documentary-style camera work give Gomorrah the feel of watching something unfolding in real time on Neapolitan streets: cramped apartment blocks, sun-bleached concrete, dim tenement stairwells, and the flat grey-green glow of car interiors and sweatshops. Garrone favours naturalistic performances, unshowy lighting and long observational takes, with a sparse, percussive score that often gives way to ambient street noise, traffic, and the hum of machinery. The vibe is bleak, tense and quietly oppressive, a slow dread that builds rather than erupts. Violence is present and sudden, shot plainly and without music to cushion it, so it lands hard when it arrives; there are shootings, killings and brutal beatings, along with drug dealing, exploitation and some disturbing scenes of ordinary people complicit in crime. It is not gratuitous, but it is not gentle. The pacing is episodic and deliberately unhurried, following several overlapping lives in a sprawling, morally tangled world. Best suited to viewers who want serious, unsentimental crime drama and can sit with prolonged unease and moral ambiguity, rather than a lighter or escapist watch.
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