Los bandidos de Orgosolo

Equal parts documentary and drama, the film succeeds brilliantly at the former. We really do get a sense of how this harsh, flinty landscape shapes the people who live in it and how the customs and structures of modern (city) life would feel so foreign to them. The use of chiarscuro lighting in darker scenes, figures set amidst the cathedral lighting of the forest, and the imposing presence of Michele filmed looking upward as he is framed against harsh, white, rocky hillsides and the bottomless gray sky, give a sense of the inherent drama that lies in these people's day to day survival. Unfortunately the drama of the simple, predictable, and yet intrusive plot can't match that of the landscape and the film's pace is occasionally plodding (we literally spend a third of the film watching sheep being driven up and down hillsides). My review: a shrug. But worth a look if you want to learn something about this out-of-the-way corner of the world. 6/10.