Notturno

Gianfranco Rosi's follow-up to FIRE AT SEA which was about Middle-Eastern and North African migrants coming ashore on a small Italian island. NOTTURNO depicts the circumstances by which many of those refugees come to be. Whether it's Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria or Lebanon Rosi's camera simply captures the lives caught up in the turmoil. Rosi's Documentary is naturalistic. There is no narration. No title cards. No manipulative music. There's even very little in the way of conversation. Whether it be an all female military troop, a teenage hunter, a group staging a political play, elderly mourners or, most chillingly, a group of school children recounting in words and drawings the horrors of ISIS, Rosi's camera is simply there to record. The cinematography and sound work is extraordinary, but, they never call undue attention upon themselves. A little familiarity with the wars and political strife that have occurred in the region is helpful. Rosi provides vivid images and audio, but he leaves it to the viewer to provide their own insight. It's a fine achievement.