MovieChat Forums > Gomorra (2009) Discussion > If you have not read the book did the fi...

If you have not read the book did the film make sense?

posted 15 years ago by reidronnie72
5 replies | jump to latest

I found the film interesting and disturbing to watch and loved the fact that real locations were used and you did get a read feel of the poverty and hopelessness of the housing estates that are almost completely under Camorra control.

However, I am glad that I read the book before watching the film. The film did not have commentary (either spoken or written) which as the film jumped from one story to another and then back again would have been very confusing. Having read the book I knew that each story told of a different aspect of camorra business and that each of the stories had either been witnessed by Saviano (the book's author) or told to the author by a witness (or a friend of a friend of a witness). However trying to watch it objectively it was not clear how the story of the tailor linked with the stories of the young wannabe gangsters or the story of the mild mannered money provider. In truth the stories are not really connected other than they happened in Camorra territory and because of the Camorra's influence in these areas. Really it is a film of several individual stories.

That aside I found the film dark, gritty and scary. To be born into one of these areas seems to leave you with little option in life unless you get out and I suppose that is not easy. Some of the imagery will stay with me for a long time. Particulary the kids playing in a swimming pool only for the camera to pan back to reveal the pool is on top of a concrete monstrosity in a sea of concrete monstrosities.

I would disagree with the claim on the cover saying it is the best gangster film since City of God. It is in many ways better and more realistic than CoG but if it is an exciting stylised shoot out and music filled romp then this is not for you. This is a much slower, less exciting but more thought provoking film. Although CoG did have some grim moments I felt it did glamourise the lifestyles of the Favella gang members too. Gamorra does nothing to make you want to live the life of any of the people in this film.

[–] yahko_kun 15 years ago

As you mentioned that it was kinda hard to follow the movie - I think its another reason just to watch it again. I can grantee you that movies like Pulp Fiction need another watch as well. I would surely like to watch Gomorra again because its a great movie no matter who says what.

You compare it to City of God - I actually watched it twice in the cinema (the only movie I ever watched twice in my life) and I need to agree that Gomorra is the best movie after CoG (If you can give me a movie that was after CoG and before Gomorra to prove me wrong)

There was defiantly a different level of "dirtiness" in Gom and in CoG. in CoG it was like a slums dirtiness like lets say in Slumdog Millionaire, those old Jackie Chan movies where he drive through those self assembled pastic/metal shacks which are like 6' by 6'.

Gomorra had that concrete dirtiness of urban abandoncy and emptiness.

[–] Karneda92 15 years ago

I Disagree with you saying that CoG glamorised gangster life, thats like saying Scindlers List glorifies anti-semitism, CoG is an acurate portrayl of crime in the favelas in fact from what i've heard and read the situation in these favelas are a whole lot worse than what was displayed in the film, and especialy seeing as the main Protaganist isnt a gangster in fact is one of the few characters in the film that avoids being dragged into organised crime, that is a false assumption.
Personaly i think CoG is beter, IMHO the production and editing is far superior, like you said the stories aren't really connected and this often leads to some confusion at 1st viewing unlike Gomorrah each story in CoG is connected and you really see how the characters evolve over time, i mean im not even sure what the timeframe is in Gomorrah , IMHO they should have just focused on the 2 more intersting stories involving Toto and those two petty thugs it would have been a much easier and more interesting film to follow.

[–] LWhite54 15 years ago

The answer is that I didn't really understand what was going on: who was part of what faction and who was actually in charge of things. I haven't read the book and was lost for much of the movie. I wasn't sure what role Maria played in the criminal goings-on so blaming her for the shooting of members of one gang seemed to come out of the blue.

Which is not to say that I thought is was a bad movie, just a confusing one. Maybe a second watching would bring some clarity.

Layback
There are no stupid questions. Just questions from stupid people.

[–] ultimatepork 15 years ago

Maria's son had joined the rebel gangsters that were trying to take over and so the dudes who killed her and forced Toto to set her up (the gang being overthrown) thought stupidly Maria had set up their guy who had got shot, Gastino, or w/e his name was.

[–] mechafi 14 years ago

Although I wasn't aware of the whole Scissionisti-thing and hadn't read the book, I could follow this film quite easily (well, it was made quite apparent that there was some secessionist faction in Scampia's Camorra that were the "antagonists").

Also, it is an overt simplification to say that the different stories really had or should have had something to do with each other. That was not important and in some way, they really didn't have! It wasn't like that some Don Bad-Ass-Camorrista coordinated everything. Camorra is just a name for a bunch of desperate people connected in some way to various criminal activities. A majority of people who are influenced by Camorra aren't really camorristas, it's just that people participating in criminal activities tend to co-operate. Camorra is more like a criminal and communal culture than any well-defined organization.

But in any case, the book is well worth reading.