Burning hearts

Everything is so banal. We already know how each scene ends. Set in a Puglia region in 2004 that seems to be stuck in the 60s. Didactic. We can't stand this type of Italian film anymore. The last 40 minutes of the film are only killing sequences. How boring! Enough!

Everything is so banal. We already know how each scene ends. Set in a Puglia region in 2004 that seems to be stuck in the 60s. Didactic. We can't stand this type of Italian film anymore. The last 40 minutes of the film are only killing sequences. How boring! Enough!

Everything is so banal. We already know how each scene ends. Set in a Puglia region in 2004 that seems to be stuck in the 60s. Didactic. We can't stand this type of Italian film anymore. The last 40 minutes of the film are only killing sequences. How boring! Enough!

The film is a fine description of the dynamics in place between different mafia families, and it shows how these families fight for their power. I think the choice of portraying the story in black and white is a good one and it matches the cruelty of the reality portrayed, where despair, blood, vengeance and craving for power are the real protagonists.

On the other side, the love romance between the two protagonists stays in the background. Someone could remain disappointed since the trailer is very much based on the love relationship between Marinella and Andrea.

The story is also inspired by real events.

The Malatesta and Camporeale families have been contending for decades for control of the Gargano promontory area: Michele Malatesta (Tommaso Ragno) and Santo Camporeale, a fugitive, are the two respective heads of families, whose disagreements seem to have subsided after a bloody settlement of accounts and thanks also to the diplomatic interventions of a third local family, the Montanari, led by Vincenzo (Michele Placido) and his son Potito (Brenno Placido).

However, the ancient contrasts are destined to rekindle when Andrea (Francesco Patanè), son of Michele, and Marilena (Elodie), wife of Santo, start dating by maintaining a first clandestine relationship, then known to all, generating a violent and uncontrolled whirlwind of violence.

On one part it is to be lauded the bravery of director Mezzapesa to shot everything in Black&Chrome, and to not indulge on the brutality of it, right from the beginning.

And yet, at the same time you can't help but feel how all of this seems to be smashed into your face in a too manneristic way: despite the absence of bright colors, everything's shines in a stylized way, which was undoubtedly researched by the director to convey an epic atmosphere

Another big point that attracted most of the attention was to see the acting debut of singer Elodie, in the role of a lady's boss in a secret affair with the son of the other rival family's Boss.

This is one of those kind of roles that greatly benefits from the already stunning appearance of the actress, but also from the hidden ability to transmit all of the right feelings, from Passion to Pain, due to being the one out of all of them that better knows the weight of her and everyone's actions.

The rest of the cast serves well their roles, starting with Francesco Patanè as male protagonist Andrea, Lidia Vitale as the suffering but firmly tenacious Malatesta matriarch, and great veterans such as Michele Placido as the Boss of a third family which tries to be a peacemaker, and above all Tommaso Ragno as Michele Malatesta, Andrea's father and leader of the Malatesta, who opens the movie in a great way exposing soon the whole nature of it all, and that of a cold but efficient mobster too: too bad that he leaves the scene way too soon, I fear.

The secondary characters too all finely complete the picture thanks to their faces, all so grotesque in perfect symbiosis with the grey look of everything.

So, all in all, the movie does have great moments, especially the dialogues, and doesn't shy away at all from the concrete brutality of the situation, but all of that too often risks to be swayed by the too ambitious style; but still, if you manage to pass through it, it can offer more than it seems.

Beautifully shot, outstanding photography, good plot.

The movie was shot in the countryside of Foggia, Puglia, southern Italy.

It is a modern, noir version of Rome and Juliet but based on a real story.

The movie makes many references to real recent events of mafia and tells the story of Rosa/Maddalena, the first woman confessing the atrocities of this particularly violent mafia.

Elodie is really good, especially in some scenes. The transformation of Andrea is credible. Placido is as usual outstanding. Many other actors have a background in theatre and it shows. There is also a boy with the Down syndrome acting that I found exceptional, especially in a scene when he sings a poem on local food dedicated to dead relatives.

The religious celebrations like the procession or the "festa dei morti"/Halloween are moving and realistic.