A Ciambra
Synopsis: 14 Yer old Pio wants nothing more than the respect of his older brother, whom he emulates in every way – including his career as a petty criminal. When both his father and brother are arrested, Pio is determined to prove that he can step up and be the head of his sprawling Romani family. But a fateful night and a wrenching decision soon test just how ready he is. Steeped in the complex social fabric of Southern Italy – where Italians, Romani, and African migrants coexist in uneasy tension.
Rating:Not Rated.
Run Time:119 min
Director: Jonas Carpignano
Dvd Extra’s: Documentary, featurette, deleted scenes, short film, trailer.
Nudity Factor: None
Of Note: As in the film’s predecessor, Mediterranea (2015), the cast consists of non-professional actors who the director met in the city of Gioia Tauro in Calabria, Italy. The story is a fictional narrative in true-to-life surroundings.
Recommendations:
Really, this film is a mediocre film. It follows a family in Italy. Yes, I had to look that up as I was unsure of the location. The family is known as gypsies. Though they don’t travel anymore they do seem to congregate together. To make ends meet, the older brother has entered into doing some small crime. Robbing houses, steeling cars, etc… Living on the edge has its risks and one of those risks is your younger brother that looks up to you wants to follow in your footsteps. Things really get out of control for the young man at that point. When I say it is mediocre it is that the story though a fictional telling in the life of a family, it is based on what could be real. It just does not really go anywhere. You get to see a peek into the lifestyle, and it really is not that interesting.
The one cool things was that for the most part, the acting in this film is done by non-professionals. In most cases, you would not know that.
Overall, the story does engage you and the characters are interesting. To the point that you do want to know how it turns out for them. That is about it, though, it really does not take you to a place that beyond that. It was worth watching once, but I have no plans to ever watch it again.