Mondocane

It is certainly not a plot never seen before in Italy (and about Italy), but setting it in a dystopian environment allows you not to get trapped in certain contemporary clichés. Very nice direction and photography though the scenario and the setting of the Ilva of Taranto is already dystopian enough in itself. Good child actors and very good Alessandro Borghi in this "Bronson/Peterson" version. I imagine that foreigners who see it in subtitles will get a much less stereotyped impression (because of the dialect). But overall very nice and I hope it's the beginning of a new vein for Italian cinema.

In an unspecified future, Taranto is now divided into two distinct halves, with the "poorer" one under the yoke of various criminal gangs, in particular The Ants, the most fearsome and mysterious, which the young Pietro and Christian, known as "Mondocane" and "Pisciasotto", will join: the two, who have always lived together on the road and are able to carry out the most difficult tasks, are marked by their respective weaknesses and insecurities which will continue to crack their fraternal relationship.

First time director Alessandro Celli completely transforms the area, bringing us into a truly separate world, as familiar as it is different, in which most of what was once is now irretrievably lost.

Surely the technical side is what best stands out and gives emblematic identity to the whole, especially the photography, made up of alienating shades of yellow and dark.

The direction also proves to be solid, especially in the great action sequences staged at their best, but weakened by an excellent but at times too quick editing in making the narration flow, as well as the screenplay itself, which in proposing a story full of the most classic canons but not for this obvious nor boring, it outlines a lot of very interesting ideas which, however, are developed in an incomplete or too fast way at times, perhaps setting aside the dystopian element too much, not going too deeply into the origins or consequences of this new Italy.

The cast is made up of professionals and newcomers who do all their best, with the two young protagonists in particular finely holding up their natural bond, even if marked by a slight imbalance in the evolution of their relationship; all under the aegis of the always excellent Alessandro Borghi, who goes us an articulate character able to pass with incomparable fluidity from the most friendly availability to the cruelest ferocity, helping and at the same time exploiting the younger misfits to carry on his own war against the world.

Like every debut, therefore, a title with all the strengths and weaknesses of the case, which gives us back a work that is still immature at times, but already strong in a fresh and well-orchestrated vision, worthy of the most international products from every point of view. And which gives hope, ironically, for an even more revolutionary and radiant future.

I saw no reviews for this film, so it urged me to write my first ever for IMDb.

I blind bought this blu ray from Kino Lorber and it did not disappoint. Carefully-crafted, complex characters develop in front of our eyes as they coexist in such a rich and densely-layered visual environment.

There is something for just about any genre fan here: character-driven drama, stunning effects, slick and well-choreographed action, and all the way from wide-eyed coming-of-age adventure to a bitter, dramatic climax. It is a search for family and meaning stuck in a bleak landscape.

See this underrated gem. Related viewing: "Rover" by David Michod.