It’s been a while since I’ve committed to a long-form review, and for that, I have to apologize. Short Takes here and there don’t exactly cut it, but we’ve certainly stayed afloat in this light with Guy’s wonderful work across the pond. I don’t get a chance to sit down and hammer out some thoughts very often, and I’m hoping that will change in the coming weeks.
Two films that jumped out this week, however, demanded some attention. The first is Matteo Garrone’s “Gomorrah,” which I saw recently in preparation for the AFI Fest. The film was well-received at Cannes and has become Italy’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race.
I have to say, I’m in agreement with Guy’s assessment for the most part. Garrone’s patch-work narrative might seem trite and even trendy at first mention, but the menagerie works because it isn’t pretentious. There is no sense of contrivance or expressed intent to make these five separate narratives comment toward one another or intersect in a nifty manner.
The assemblage is borderline slap-dash and is more impactful as a result. In a sense, Garrone has cooked up five tense, detailed short films and simply sifted them together. All roads lead to nowhere, and a list of sobering Camorra facts at the end of the film really sticks with the viewer — especially that last doosey.
(More on “Gomorrah,” plus thoughts on “Changeling” after the jump.)