Camorra

“In Naples, we say, ‘You lose your life trying to make a living.’” In archive footage, a Neapolitan explains why the city is such a hotbed of crime: it’s a city of poverty and unemployment, the class system is still firmly in place, and the local government is corrupt. For decades this has provided fertile ground for a wide range of criminal activity.

Francesco Patierno delved into the Italian national public broadcaster’s archives, Rai Teche, and discovered news programs, background reports and interviews that reveal what went wrong in this port city. Using unique journalistic material dating from the 1960s to the mid-1990s combined with a specially composed score by the Italian singer-songwriter Meg, Patierno has reconstructed the socioeconomic history of a lost city where the use of violence doesn’t make you an outcast but a hero. Even teenagers talk openly about their track record on the street. Yet at another point in the film, a criminal boss addresses the camera and shamelessly denies any involvement. The film avoids the present and is devoid of moralization or judgment. Nevertheless, Camorra holds up a mirror that reveals an uncomfortable reflection.