April 9, 2009
Gomorrah (2008) ***
Directed by Matteo Garrone
Gomorrah recently broke box office records when it grossed a $20,540 per theater average in five screens over President’s Day weekend. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this gritty Italian mafia film; I wouldn’t be surprised if it gains a devoted following. The same audience that loves films like The Godfather and Goodfellas will most likely embrace this important glimpse into Comorra, a real life mafia organization that exists outside of Naples, Italy. Yet, too many aspects of Gomorrah do not work, making it pale in comparison to the classics already mentioned. Similar to Altman’s Short Cuts and Inarritu’s Babel, five loosely connected stories interweave to examine a single theme—in this case Comorra—from varying perspectives. Too often, this organizational structure does not work. With divergent storylines, it’s hard to connect with every character and every plot equally; consistency seems almost impossible. Of course, it can be done well—I think Babel is a masterpiece—but in general, I prefer it utilized rarely if ever.
Thankfully, there is a tonal consistency among the storylines in Gomorrah, which is quite a feat considering that only one of the stories takes place within Naples itself, while the others all focus on its poverty-stricken outskirts. The use of vacant buildings and empty lots effectively drives home the circumstances surrounding the everyday lives of those living in this area of Italy. Gomorrah is a masterwork in terms of mood, and the way its settings allow the audience to understand what each character is thinking and feeling at each and every moment deserves extremely high praise.
Unfortunately, all of the honesty that exists in the first two acts of Gomorrah completely dissipates as each of the five plots awkwardly manipulates viewers in order to reach artificially strained conclusions. There’s a sequence involving a woman who owns a monkey that’s so over the top that I was expecting opera music to play in the background ala The Godfather Part III.
Garrone directs Gomorrah using a mix of visual styles that do not seamlessly meld together. For the most part, scenes are shot with a kind of gritty realism similar to a film like Chop Shop; however, especially during moments of graphic violence, Garrone channels Scorsese with hyper-staged, stylized camera shots which are on the one hand impressive but ultimately distracting. Take, for example, a scene where an accountant for Comorra is spared his life only to walk outside and find everyone lying dead in pools of their own blood. Scenes like these on their own are truly striking. Unfortunately, they do not belong in a film striving so hard for literal truth.
It’s been well-publicized that Roberto Saviano, the man who wrote the novel in which Gomorrah is based, has been forced into hiding due to death threats from members of the real Comorra because of how accurately he exposes their inner workings. Though we all hope for Saviano’s safety, this fact does help solidify Gomorrah’s importance as an authentic portrait of what happens to ordinary people when they’re forced to live in a criminal environment. The main characters in all five stories are good people deep down. Unfortunately, their options in life are limited, and the only way to make it in this world is to cooperate with Comorra or else pay the consequences. Too many are doomed from the start, resulting in way too much needless bloodshed.
Gomorrah (2008) ***
Directed by Matteo Garrone
Gomorrah recently broke box office records when it grossed a $20,540 per theater average in five screens over President’s Day weekend. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this gritty Italian mafia film; I wouldn’t be surprised if it gains a devoted following. The same audience that loves films like The Godfather and Goodfellas will most likely embrace this important glimpse into Comorra, a real life mafia organization that exists outside of Naples, Italy. Yet, too many aspects of Gomorrah do not work, making it pale in comparison to the classics already mentioned. Similar to Altman’s Short Cuts and Inarritu’s Babel, five loosely connected stories interweave to examine a single theme—in this case Comorra—from varying perspectives. Too often, this organizational structure does not work. With divergent storylines, it’s hard to connect with every character and every plot equally; consistency seems almost impossible. Of course, it can be done well—I think Babel is a masterpiece—but in general, I prefer it utilized rarely if ever.
Thankfully, there is a tonal consistency among the storylines in Gomorrah, which is quite a feat considering that only one of the stories takes place within Naples itself, while the others all focus on its poverty-stricken outskirts. The use of vacant buildings and empty lots effectively drives home the circumstances surrounding the everyday lives of those living in this area of Italy. Gomorrah is a masterwork in terms of mood, and the way its settings allow the audience to understand what each character is thinking and feeling at each and every moment deserves extremely high praise.
Unfortunately, all of the honesty that exists in the first two acts of Gomorrah completely dissipates as each of the five plots awkwardly manipulates viewers in order to reach artificially strained conclusions. There’s a sequence involving a woman who owns a monkey that’s so over the top that I was expecting opera music to play in the background ala The Godfather Part III.
Garrone directs Gomorrah using a mix of visual styles that do not seamlessly meld together. For the most part, scenes are shot with a kind of gritty realism similar to a film like Chop Shop; however, especially during moments of graphic violence, Garrone channels Scorsese with hyper-staged, stylized camera shots which are on the one hand impressive but ultimately distracting. Take, for example, a scene where an accountant for Comorra is spared his life only to walk outside and find everyone lying dead in pools of their own blood. Scenes like these on their own are truly striking. Unfortunately, they do not belong in a film striving so hard for literal truth.
It’s been well-publicized that Roberto Saviano, the man who wrote the novel in which Gomorrah is based, has been forced into hiding due to death threats from members of the real Comorra because of how accurately he exposes their inner workings. Though we all hope for Saviano’s safety, this fact does help solidify Gomorrah’s importance as an authentic portrait of what happens to ordinary people when they’re forced to live in a criminal environment. The main characters in all five stories are good people deep down. Unfortunately, their options in life are limited, and the only way to make it in this world is to cooperate with Comorra or else pay the consequences. Too many are doomed from the start, resulting in way too much needless bloodshed.
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008) ***1/2
Miracle at St. Anna (2008) **
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) ***
Rachel Getting Married (2008) *****