Black Souls

Gioacchino Criaco’s novel (itself based on a true story) allows director Francesco Munzi to give a new spin on Italian family feud, this time focusing on the Calabrian Mafia. Luigi (Marco Leonardi, teenage Toto from Cinema Paradiso, all grown up), Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) and Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) are the trio of far-flung mob brothers who are compelled to regroup in their ancestral town after a bumptious young nephew stirs up a long-dormant feud. Soon, the crisis swells to take in two generations and many, many more lives. Black Souls is a slow-burning, ominous portrait of the poisonous effect of a society of violence, revenge and deadly machismo – and the mafia film of the year.

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