Gomorrah PDF Print E-mail
Written by Colin Fraser   
Wednesday, 13 May 2009 06:59
GOMORRAH (MA)

Starring Toni Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato

Directed by Matteo Garrone

4 stars

With a searing, immediate tone that borders on documentary, Garrone forces us into the unrelentingly violent world of Italy’s Comorra, a crime syndicate responsible for the murder of 4,000 people in thirty years – nearly three per week.

When clan rivalry exploded in 2004, a wave of bloodletting followed from which Gomorrah takes its storylines: a young boy is enlisted into a legion, a man who makes loyalty payments is compromised, a tailor sells out to a Chinese syndicate.Murder trails close behind.

Garrone is fond of extreme close-ups with a queasy-cam, a style that gives Gomorrah immediacy that defines ‘in your face’. It can be unsettling, and sometimes confusing, yet that’s his point.

Despite the fierce loyalty and honour demanded by the syndicate, it’s hard to tell where this ever-shifting line has moved. That infuses Garrone’s film with a sense of dread and fear that leaks out of the screen.

Gomorrah is a savage, unyielding drama that packs the kind of emotional punch you’d expect of a mafia film. It also haunts the mind, lurking like an unwelcome guest with images and scenes you might sooner forget.

Distasteful certainly, but this is a stunning film that shines with a ring of authenticity seldom seen and if for that reason only, is a film that demands your attention.