Gomorrah

Starring: Salvatore Abruzzese, Simone Sacchettino, Salvatore Ruocco

Director: Matteo Garrone 

Rating: ★★★★

Subtitled

Most people take for granted the fact that they live in the ‘developed’ world, a place where modern medicine, plumbing and central heating are seen as a basic human right. But as Gomorrah shows, Italy, a ‘developed’ country, which is classified as one of the ‘Big Five’ nations of Europe (along with us), proves that aspects of the ‘developing’ world, such as complete poverty and dog eat dog violence, can be a lot closer to home.

Gomorrah tells the story of two rival gangs living in and around a rough council estate in Naples, Italy. But these gangs are not how we would view them, as these young men do not sit at the back of a bus in hoodies and blare music from their mobiles phones, nor do they have huge ugly dogs to make them look ‘hard’. The youths in this film kill each other for a living, deal drugs and help dump toxic waste for crime lords as part of their normal lives. And if you want to be a part of the gang, all you have to do is prove yourself as a man: by being shot while wearing a bullet-proof vest. Although this sounds shocking, and pretty average fare for a normal gangster film, it makes the film all the more disturbing to watch when you know it is real.

Gangs, guns and grime in Italy...

Based on a true story, Gomorrah begins with an unexpected and jaw dropping opening, setting up a film that you know will be completely unpredictable for the entire journey, forcing undue tension in the audience that stays with you for the duration of the films 137 minutes. The plot of gangland murders and drug deals is told through the eyes of several different characters, chopping and changing abruptly as it jumps from one life to another. The protagonists who we ‘hang around with’ vary from the likeable Toto, a young boy who works in a shop for his mother, and the despicable, Boxer and Pitbull two teenagers who aspire to be like their hero Scarface and kill as many people as they can.

As this is a slow burning drama, it is hard to actually explain a specific plot thread as there are so many, but all of them are portrayed in such a realistic and terrifying way that you will be compelled to stay in your seat until the explosive conclusion.

The cast and director are just a few of the reasons why Gomorrah is good on so many different levels, as it also raises a myriad of profound issues including identity, poverty, and most importantly how can people live this lifestyle on a day to day basis and consider it ‘normal’.

This is edge of your seat stuff that is not for the faint of heart, and since Gomorrah combines strong performances with raw realism, mixed together with the fact you know it really happened, it will haunt you for days after watching it.