Friday, November 11, 2011

Gomorrah

In Naples, Italy the Camorra organized crime system controls nearly every aspect of life. In the midst of a turf war,  "Gomorrah" follows five different storylines which display the far reaching depravity of the powerful organization: two young "Scarface" emulating stickup artists, an even younger boy drawn into the life, a toxic waste dumping politico, a gun shy bag man, and a tailor moonlighting with a rival designer. Matteo Garrone's film, based on an expose by Roberto Saviano, is a stark, neorealist account, told without music, that effectively and shockingly reveals the nature of organized crime. Even in a great, unromantic film such as "Goodfellas", we can still be taken by the glamorous elements of the story or the flash of the direction. Scene through an unadulterated lens, "Gomorrah" offers a sickening view of corruption.