Almas Negras

ANIME NERE boasts some of the best acting that I have seen in any film from anywhere in the world over the last 10 years. Perhaps only SICARIO (US 2015) can bear comparison with this extremely high standard of acting.

Francesco Munzi's direction is also first rate, aided by excellent stark photography.

Dialogue is extremely credible, and the script builds up to an unbearable tension point without much physical action.

So why do I rate this film only 7/10? Because I expected more reaction from the target family, and I find the open ending frustrating.

PS - I decided to rewatch ANIME NERE and I have to admit that the ending makes more sense than I initially surmised. The point, trite but valid all the same, is that death is supposed to be a deterrent among crime-pursuing families, but once a crime is committed, even a minor one like stealing goats, revenge will follow, and death is no longer a deterrent but an objective.

Interesting aspect: as in THE GODFATHER, there are three brothers here, and you know instinctively that the brother who wants to stay out of crime is the one most likely to be the action man. The other two are Hamlet-like figures, who hate Barreca for killing their father but talk rather than do something about it. And any distraction carries the ultimate price, as Luigi and Leo find out.

In crime, as in life, there is always someone stronger and more lethal than you. What I initially saw as an open ending is in fact the only ending to criminal life. I change my rating to 9/10 and recommend this film.

BLACK SOULS is an unusual Italian gangster film that portrays the subject matter in an art-house style. Thus, it's a slow and sedate movie with exemplary realism throughout that goes for a very low key approach. It feels like very little happens in this film, yet at the same time the production has the same kind of realism as a documentary.

It's certainly a well-shot piece with some fine cinematography. The acting is of a solid standard with the actors giving mannered and restrained performances rather than going over the top as in an American gangster movie. The plot, about innocent lives being drawn into the criminal underworld, is a familiar one, but the slow-burning approach works well and builds up some powerhouse moments.

But not the mafia movie I expected.

Seems to take the concept of the Sopranos one step further (or rather a step down)

It's a very nonviolent (for a gangster movie), and far more blue collar than Goodfellas is

Makes the whole organization feel more grounded.

I wonder if that's just the difference between the Italians and the Italian-Americans.

Well-acted. I really like the performance from the guy playing Luciano, the dad trying to keep his son away from the path his brother is on. A hard sell cause Luciano's brother's got all the cool stuff and treats his nephew like a man.

Must admit the story seems hard to follow. It's in Italian and the subtitles did not help. Plus the movie moves slower than expected.

Overall, it's one of those films that pays off with a small emotional climb up as you get to know that characters and how they live capped off with a roller coaster ride that's very fulfilling.

Recommend

"Dark Souls" or "Anime Nere", as the original title is, is a movie about a feud between two mob families, triggered from an act of recklessness perpetrated by a young man who desires to step into the "glorious", but sleazy and risky world of mafia, and defies his rural origins and the agricultural works his father is doing for a living. It benefits from silence (and total absence of soundtrack and sounds, in general) in certain scenes, a fact that amplifies the intensity which pervades them, or simply steers clear of sounds when silence is required. Marco Leonardi, Peppino Mazzotta and Fabrizio Ferracane deliver solid performances as the three brothers, the two first deeply involved in mafia's trade (mostly drug dealing), and the latter one as the seemingly innocent and uninformed (although he is the eldest brother), whose performance is extremely layered and he, as an actor, is exceptionally expressive and encapsulates every single emotion. Giuseppe Fumo stands out as the bold, careless, vengeful Leo who wants desperately to get engaged into the Mob's ruses, and acts without processing his ideas or following the instructions from his experienced uncles. The scenery is beautiful, the dialogue is equally witty and true to life, the storyline, although it steps in familiar ground, manages to keep the audience's interest during the whole runtime of this motion picture. Soundtrack perfectly matches every shot of this film, and it successfully integrates some Mediterranean customs concerning deceased family members, and grief is portrayed (and expressed) frankly and realistically. There are twists and turns near the end, that make it grim, but also credible. A flaw of this picture, though, is the abruptness of the ending, and the fact that makes no sense, but the final scene's ambiguity gives food for thought to the viewer. Apart from its defects, this is a well-made crime drama that, even though it's not a masterpiece, it honours its Mafia genre and it's recommended to the fans of it, and to the ones who would like to watch a dark European mob film, and have a good time too.

Italy seems to be one step ahead in the production of quality crime films. After the majestic ''Suburra'', this film travels the viewer to the Italian south where we are introduced to three brothers Luciano, Rocco and Luigi who spend their lives inside the omnipotent organized crime complex which is known as ndrangheta (the word is derived for the greek synonym of bravery). Luciano is retired from this lifestyle and is now devoted to his family, a young son (Leo) who seems eager to follow the steps of his criminal uncles. There is nothing flashy or glamorizing about the film's depiction of the mafia lifestyle, ''Anime Nere'' is a rather reserved character-based movie placing the emphasis on the problematic family dynamics and the emotional ordeals of the main characters. This is supported by the stellar performances of all the main actors, in my opinion, Marco Leonardi stands out as the mercurial and tough Luigi, and the direction is exquisite using the beautiful landscape as a marker of the protagonists' feelings. If you are looking for another ''Goodfellas'' rip-off, better stay away from this Italian gem. This is a movie about the genuine lovers of the medium.