The Movie
Undercover reporter Roberto Saviano's best-selling exposé about the far-reaching effects of the criminal underworld and its effect upon modern Naples is brought to stark, disturbing life in the powerful 2008 drama Gomorrah. The style often has an informal feel, with handheld camerawork and apparently lackluster, cliché-strewn dialogue that imbues an almost documentary vibe for greater impact. We see at eye level several different dimensions of the organization; all the way down to the aspiring children just breaking in, others looking to escape; disparate personalities engaged in a variety of criminal activities against the backdrop of contemporary Italy.
The five stories are mostly independent, some overlap here and there which in turn makes the movie more "epic" than any one subplot on its own, in the same vein as Crash. From the improper disposal of toxic waste to peddling drugs to the frequent murders (one every three days, on average), the "Camorra" is threatening to destroy Naples. Gomorrah lifts the veil of silence, revealing the truth in alarming detail.
The image here is extremely noisy, with high levels of grain inherent in the Super 35mm photography that does not translate well to high-def. Blacks lean toward the unnatural, and this movie is heavy with shadows. Out-of-focus background actors often take on an artificial appearance, while I noted at least one instance of discoloration on the side of the 2.35:1 frame, likely owing to film damage. The director and cinematographer both approved this transfer, and Criterion has high standards, so this must be the best Gomorrah can look.
The Sound
The surround channels in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix are used generously to establish the various environments, suggesting a living, breathing world beyond each scene. Gunshots are sharp and powerful, while the subwoofer will be tapped to bring bass to a dump truck engine or some techno music. The echo of voices inside an abandoned building also exhibit significantly different character from those under more common circumstances, always appropriately natural.
The Extras
Melania Cacucci's 62-and-a-half-minute documentary "'Gomorrah': Five Short Stories" from 2008 recounts the making of the movie. More recent, exclusive interviews with director Matteo Garrone (22-and-a-half minutes), actor Toni Servillo (14 minutes) and other Actors (ten-and-a-half minutes) provide further insight on the production. The ten-and-a-half-minute interview with author (and now marked man) Roberto Saviano gives the proceedings a real-world perspective. Six deleted scenes run 13 minutes total. Everything here is in high-definition.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps the gritty look of Gomorrah is intentional? The tale is undeniably a harsh one, exposing the decay of a crumbling, largely impoverished city, and impressive audio notwithstanding, the style is as bleak as the subject matter, and all the more successful for it.
Product Details
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