This movie is brilliant in a sense that it delivers a strong story without actually using strong story lines. Many times the movie seems more akin to a documentary, where the audience is put in a position to simply observe and witness- no witty conversations, no dramatic music, no unusual camera angles. Pieces of seemingly disconnected stories nonetheless knit together a full picture of what Camorra gang, or any other gangs in the world, is truly about. There is nothing glorious- just pure exploitation of the weak and the greedy through violence and corruption.
The movie started with a murder scene and ended with another. The tones, however, are completely different. The beginning was light, with friendly conversations with the victims and rather joyful soundtracks. The ending scene, in contrast, was just merciless and brutal killing, after which a heavy soundtrack was played along the credits. The is indicative of the development of the movie- first, the daily lives in the slum was depicted as nothing out of ordinary. As the audience goes deeper and deeper into the social fabric, however, the true face of the gang emerges clearer and uglier. It is omnipotent and influential. More importantly, it is self-serving and devastating.
There is a strong message of greed driving humans into their own distinction. While some of the victims were exploited for the weak positions, many were also driven and eventually consumed by their own greed for money and power. This undertone is reflected in the closing: from the powerful scene of negotiation of illegal poisonous chemical dumping with the victim who suffers from the very poison he tried to earn money from- even in his death bed he could utter nothing but 'Euro'- to the two teenagers dreaming about becoming powerful gang leaders only ending up being killed like pigs and dumped like garbage.
The movie started with a murder scene and ended with another. The tones, however, are completely different. The beginning was light, with friendly conversations with the victims and rather joyful soundtracks. The ending scene, in contrast, was just merciless and brutal killing, after which a heavy soundtrack was played along the credits. The is indicative of the development of the movie- first, the daily lives in the slum was depicted as nothing out of ordinary. As the audience goes deeper and deeper into the social fabric, however, the true face of the gang emerges clearer and uglier. It is omnipotent and influential. More importantly, it is self-serving and devastating.
There is a strong message of greed driving humans into their own distinction. While some of the victims were exploited for the weak positions, many were also driven and eventually consumed by their own greed for money and power. This undertone is reflected in the closing: from the powerful scene of negotiation of illegal poisonous chemical dumping with the victim who suffers from the very poison he tried to earn money from- even in his death bed he could utter nothing but 'Euro'- to the two teenagers dreaming about becoming powerful gang leaders only ending up being killed like pigs and dumped like garbage.