Black Souls, 2015.
Directed by Francesco Munzi.
Starring Marco Leonardi, Peppino Mazzotta and Fabrizio Ferracane.
SYNOPSIS:
The story of three brothers, the sons of a shepherd, close to the ndrangheta and of their divided souls.
Tantalisingly steady in its pace, Black Souls toys with the idea of classical Mafia crime drama, subverting its stereotypical themes for moments that question the allure that violence, ambition and revenge bring to film. Director Francesco Munzi’s (Saimir, The Rest of the Night) cinematic adaption of Joachim Criaco’s novel, Black Souls, pays as much attention to character development as a Shakespearean theatre production would, resulting in a genuinely in-depth picture that intensifies slowly but consistently minute by minute.
Despite being such an ambitious work, Munzi’s plot draws dangerously close to becoming stagnant. However, through its dramatically captivating character development and stunningly distractive cinematography, Black Souls rewards its audience with a conclusion that shocks and satisfies its viewers. Munzi explores questions of morality throughout his portrayal of the three ‘Ndrangheta brothers, identifying in the opening scene through the juxtaposition in the brothers locations, that both characters exist worlds apart.
Sticking close to the conventions of classical Mafia crime drama, Black Souls aptly illustrates that its strongest features are its character development and cinematography. Where Munzi’s film differs from the traditional genre of Mafia film is in what it neglects to show. It by no means romanticises the idea of violence, with much of the killing happening off camera, emphasising that the horror lies not within the power that these characters have to carry out such violence, but instead within the degradation of their moral character that has led them to the capability to carry it out normally. This portrayal of violence also further serves to emphasis the film’s conclusion and all the escalation that builds within the final act.
Working in tandem to explore areas of character development more deeply, Munzi uses cinematography as a tool to illustrate the dominance that characters possess in relation to others. It is clear throughout the entirety of Black Souls that Munzi was meticulous and careful in its design and foreshadowing, using the camera position as a secondary visual device to expand upon the pre-existing tensions between older and younger generations, modernity and tradition and ambition and complacency.
The act of symmetry in the film’s opening scene illuminates the moral sameness between the younger two brothers, introducing the audience immediately to a story of inner conflict. The cinematography also exploits the location as a means to explore the roots and origins of an Italian crime organisation existing in the modern world. Originally intending to film a documentary, Munzi through his expansive research found a surplus of exceptional locations that reflected how his characters would be written as the film changed from documentary to fiction. Munzi’s use of symbolism and disturbing gothic visuals, highlight the isolation of these mountainous villages in the south of Italy, working wonderfully to capture the dark origins of global crime syndicate.
What is uniquely distinct to Munzi’s Black Souls is his ability to explore the heights of ambition and greed against a plot that also explores the moral decay that it requires, returning to a more classical kind of crime drama that Mafia film has moved away from in substitution for more violent action. Black Souls is an international achievement that echoes all the effort and work Munzi carried out in his conception of creating this film.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Joshua Gill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=W04aXcyQ0NQ
Originally published November 8, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
