Gomorra (film)
Encyclopedia
Gomorrah is a 2008 Italian film directed by Matteo Garrone
, based on the book
by Roberto Saviano
. It deals with the Casalesi clan
, a crime syndicate within the Camorra
— a traditional criminal organization
based in Naples
and Caserta
, in the southern Italian region of Campania
.
s relaxing in a tanning salon.
It then intertwines five separate stories of people whose lives are touched by organized crime
.
Don Ciro
Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato) is a timid middleman who distributes money to the families of imprisoned clan members. After a feud develops within the clan, he is ambushed by two angry gangsters whilst making a delivery. Wanting to save his own skin, he later offers to defect to their side. They explain to him their families were murdered by the clan and want retribution, and that they have no need for a money-carrier. Instead, Ciro leads them to the location where he is given the money for distribution. The pair raid the place, killing everyone but Ciro, and take the money. Ciro quietly walks off to an uncertain future.
Totò
Totò (Salvatore Abruzzese) is a 13-year-old grocery delivery boy who observes some drug dealers ditch a bag of drugs and a gun when running from the police at Sette palazzi in Scampia
. He returns the items to the gang, who take him in. His initiation in an underground cavern
involves him being shot while wearing a bulletproof vest
as a test of courage. As the feud develops, families in the neighborhood that are perceived to be disloyal receive a warning to move out or suffer violence; Totò's fellow gang members received similar threats. Later, while hanging out with his gang in the streets of Scampia
, one of his gang is killed in a drive-by. The gang decides to stand their ground and exact violent retribution by selecting a woman, Maria (Maria Nazionale), as their next victim, because her son has joined a clan of Scissionisti di Secondigliano
. Totò, who has delivered groceries to Maria, is forced to lure her out of her apartment, where his comrades execute her.
Roberto
Roberto (Carmine Paternoster) is a graduate who works in waste management
. His boss Franco (Toni Servillo
) illegally dumps toxic waste such as chromium
and asbestos
at sites such as disused quarries. During an operation, a drum of toxic chemicals is accidentally spilled on a driver. Franco refuses to call an ambulance, and when the workers refuse to handle the waste, Franco instead hires children to drive the trucks. When he sees firsthand the harmful effects of illegal toxic waste
dumping on people's health, Roberto can no longer contain his disgust and quits.
Pasquale
Pasquale (Salvatore Cantalupo) is an haute couture
tailor who works for Iavarone (Gigio Morra), a garment factory owner with ties to the Camorra. Pasquale takes a night-job training Chinese garment workers. Because they are competing with Camorra-controlled firms, the Chinese drive him to and from work in the trunk of their car. His secret work is discovered nonetheless, and on a ride home two gunmen on a scooter open fire on the car. He survives but feels forced to abandon his career, taking a job as a truck driver. At a truck stop one night, he sees Scarlett Johansson
on TV wearing one of his dresses.
Marco and Ciro
Marco (Marco Macor) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) are two cocky, out of control, teenage wannabe-gangsters who try to operate a small racket independent of the local clan. Full of youthful exuberance and impressed with mafia portrayals from Hollywood movies, they quote lines and spontaneously reenact scenes from Scarface
in Walter Schiavone's villa while dropping references to Tony Montana
, Miami, and Colombians
. Their first score is sticking up African immigrants during a drug purchase at the famous Hotel Boomerang, Castel Volturno
. The word of the incident gets to the local mob chieftain Giovanni (Giovanni Venosa, later arrested for trying to extract a pizzo - mafia tax - from businesses in the Caserta
region), who summons them and warns them under threat of violence not to repeat such behavior in the future. Ignoring him completely, they spy Camorra gangsters hiding a stash of weapons. They steal the weapons and amuse themselves by firing off rounds by the banks of a Regi Lagni canal estuary
in the marshland. One day, out of money, they use their guns to rob a video arcade
. They spend their money at a strip club, where the angry gangsters find them and threaten to kill them if they don't return the weapons within a day. The pair prove stubborn, so Zio (uncle) Vittorio (Vittorio Russo), one of the local gangsters tries a different tactic: he approaches them in a bar with an offer to come work for him. He offers them €10,000 if they return the weapons and conduct a murder of Peppe O'Cavallaro, in fact uncle Bernardino (Bernardino Terracciano, later seized on suspicion of extorting protection money and having ties to the Casalesi clan
, part of the Camorra
mafia). They accept the offer, which turns out to be a trap, as they are ambushed and killed by Giovanni, Bernardino, Vittorio and others at the location of their supposed target, an abandoned beach resort next to Regi Lagni canal estuary, and the last scene shows their bodies being taken away by a bulldozer.
. One allegation is that illicit money is being laundered through the rebuilding of the World Trade Center
, "Gains from illegal activities are reinvested in legal ones worldwide .. The Camorra has also invested in the reconstruction of the Twin Towers". The film does not outline the actual mechanism of money laundering with respect to the reconstruction of the Twin Towers. The buildings and land at the site are owned and controlled by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
and Larry Silverstein
. Silverstein is using his $4.55 billion insurance payout from the September 11 attacks for the reconstruction.
gives the film a score of 91% based on reviews from 137 critics, with an average score of 7.7/10. Metacritic
gave the film a weighted score of 87/100, based on 30 critiques, which it ranks as "universal acclaim". In reviewing Garrone's film based on the book, Christoph Huber wrote: "With its interest in moving beyond the categories of novel or non-fiction, Saviano's work has been identified as part of a heterogeneous strain of national literature, subsumed as the New Italian Epic
. A term that certainly isn't disgraced by Gomorrah, the film.".
. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or
and won the Grand Prix
at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008
. It won the Ari-Zeiss Award at the Munich Film Festival. The film was chosen by the National Association of Cinemagraphic Industries to represent Italy
in contention for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards
. Despite the earlier success at Cannes, and defying expectations, it failed to be short-listed. On December 11, Gomorra was given a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film. Gomorra won five awards at the 2008 European Film Awards, including Best European Film in Copenhagen
on December 6, 2008. The film also received seven awards at the 2009 David di Donatello Awards (Italian version of the Oscars).
. In the film's credits, the filmmakers thank the districts of Scampia
and Torre del Greco
, as well as the district and police force (Carabinieri
) of nearby Boscoreale
; these three suburban areas around the Bay of Naples feature cityscapes appropriate for filming this story. Also, the scene at the truck stop where Scarlett Johansson
is seen wearing one of the tailor's dresses is based on a portion of the book where Angelina Jolie
wore a counterfeit dress to the Oscars. Garrone could not obtain that footage from the Academy and was forced to use this footage of Johansson at the Venice Film Festival
in 2006 (even though reports indicate this was a vintage gown).
Matteo Garrone
Matteo Garrone is an Italian film maker.Born in Rome, the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone and a photographer, in 1996 Garrone won the Sacher d'Oro, an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, with the short film Silhouette, that became one of the three episodes that are on his first long film ...
, based on the book
Gomorrah (book)
Gomorrah is a book by Roberto Saviano published in 2006.-The book:The book describes the clandestine particulars of the business of the Camorra, a powerful Neapolitan mafia-like organization...
by Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano is an Italian writer and journalist.In his writings, articles, television programs, and books he employs prose and news-reporting style to narrate the story of the Camorra , exposing its territory and business connections.Since 2006, following the publication of his bestselling...
. It deals with the Casalesi clan
Casalesi clan
The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno.Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederation of clans in the Caserta area...
, a crime syndicate within the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
— a traditional criminal organization
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
based in Naples
Province of Naples
The Province of Naples is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital city is Naples, within the province there are 92 Comuni of the Province of Naples.-Demographics:...
and Caserta
Province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta. The former royal palace of Caserta is located near to the city.It has an area of 2,639 km², and a total population of 879,342...
, in the southern Italian region of Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
.
Plot summary
The film opens with the shootings of gangsterGangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s relaxing in a tanning salon.
It then intertwines five separate stories of people whose lives are touched by organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
.
Don Ciro
Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato) is a timid middleman who distributes money to the families of imprisoned clan members. After a feud develops within the clan, he is ambushed by two angry gangsters whilst making a delivery. Wanting to save his own skin, he later offers to defect to their side. They explain to him their families were murdered by the clan and want retribution, and that they have no need for a money-carrier. Instead, Ciro leads them to the location where he is given the money for distribution. The pair raid the place, killing everyone but Ciro, and take the money. Ciro quietly walks off to an uncertain future.
Totò
Totò (Salvatore Abruzzese) is a 13-year-old grocery delivery boy who observes some drug dealers ditch a bag of drugs and a gun when running from the police at Sette palazzi in Scampia
Scampia
Scampìa is a modern suburb in the north of Naples. The population is about 80,000.-Geography:The district lies in the far north of Naples. To the south are the suburbs of Piscinola-Marianella, Miano and Secondigliano.-History:...
. He returns the items to the gang, who take him in. His initiation in an underground cavern
Naples underground geothermal zone
Running beneath the Italian city of Naples and the surrounding area is an underground geothermal zone called the "Campi Flegrei" . This geothermal area runs generally from Mount Vesuvius beneath a wide area including Pompei, Herculaneum, Naples and over to Pozzuoli and the coastal Baia area...
involves him being shot while wearing a bulletproof vest
Bulletproof vest
A ballistic vest, bulletproof vest or bullet-resistant vest is an item of personal armor that helps absorb the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel from explosions, and is worn on the torso...
as a test of courage. As the feud develops, families in the neighborhood that are perceived to be disloyal receive a warning to move out or suffer violence; Totò's fellow gang members received similar threats. Later, while hanging out with his gang in the streets of Scampia
Scampia
Scampìa is a modern suburb in the north of Naples. The population is about 80,000.-Geography:The district lies in the far north of Naples. To the south are the suburbs of Piscinola-Marianella, Miano and Secondigliano.-History:...
, one of his gang is killed in a drive-by. The gang decides to stand their ground and exact violent retribution by selecting a woman, Maria (Maria Nazionale), as their next victim, because her son has joined a clan of Scissionisti di Secondigliano
Scissionisti di Secondigliano
The Scissionisti di Secondigliano is a Camorra clan from the Secondigliano district of Naples, headed by Raffaele Amato and Cesare Pagano. They are also known as "Spagnoli" because of their endless trips ferrying cocaine from Galicia in Spain...
. Totò, who has delivered groceries to Maria, is forced to lure her out of her apartment, where his comrades execute her.
Roberto
Roberto (Carmine Paternoster) is a graduate who works in waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
. His boss Franco (Toni Servillo
Toni Servillo
Toni Servillo; is an award-winning Italian television and film actor and director of theater, opera and film.-Personal life:Servillo was born in Afragola, Campania, the brother of musician Peppe Servillo...
) illegally dumps toxic waste such as chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
and asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
at sites such as disused quarries. During an operation, a drum of toxic chemicals is accidentally spilled on a driver. Franco refuses to call an ambulance, and when the workers refuse to handle the waste, Franco instead hires children to drive the trucks. When he sees firsthand the harmful effects of illegal toxic waste
Toxic waste
Toxic waste is waste material that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It spreads quite easily and can contaminate lakes and rivers. The term is often used interchangeably with “hazardous waste”, or discarded material that can pose a long-term risk to health or environment.Toxic waste...
dumping on people's health, Roberto can no longer contain his disgust and quits.
Pasquale
Pasquale (Salvatore Cantalupo) is an haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
tailor who works for Iavarone (Gigio Morra), a garment factory owner with ties to the Camorra. Pasquale takes a night-job training Chinese garment workers. Because they are competing with Camorra-controlled firms, the Chinese drive him to and from work in the trunk of their car. His secret work is discovered nonetheless, and on a ride home two gunmen on a scooter open fire on the car. He survives but feels forced to abandon his career, taking a job as a truck driver. At a truck stop one night, he sees Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
on TV wearing one of his dresses.
Marco and Ciro
Marco (Marco Macor) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) are two cocky, out of control, teenage wannabe-gangsters who try to operate a small racket independent of the local clan. Full of youthful exuberance and impressed with mafia portrayals from Hollywood movies, they quote lines and spontaneously reenact scenes from Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
in Walter Schiavone's villa while dropping references to Tony Montana
Tony Montana
Antonio Raimundo "Tony" Montana is a fictional character from the 1983 film Scarface. He is portrayed by Al Pacino in the movie, and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. Tony Montana has become a cultural icon and is one of the most famous movie...
, Miami, and Colombians
Colombians
Colombians may refer to:* Citizens of Colombia, a country in South America.* Ethnic Colombians** Colombian people, persons from Colombia or of Colombian ancestry...
. Their first score is sticking up African immigrants during a drug purchase at the famous Hotel Boomerang, Castel Volturno
Castel Volturno
Castel Volturno is a comune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km northwest of Naples and about 35 km west of Caserta on the Volturno river.-History:...
. The word of the incident gets to the local mob chieftain Giovanni (Giovanni Venosa, later arrested for trying to extract a pizzo - mafia tax - from businesses in the Caserta
Caserta
Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range...
region), who summons them and warns them under threat of violence not to repeat such behavior in the future. Ignoring him completely, they spy Camorra gangsters hiding a stash of weapons. They steal the weapons and amuse themselves by firing off rounds by the banks of a Regi Lagni canal estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
in the marshland. One day, out of money, they use their guns to rob a video arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
. They spend their money at a strip club, where the angry gangsters find them and threaten to kill them if they don't return the weapons within a day. The pair prove stubborn, so Zio (uncle) Vittorio (Vittorio Russo), one of the local gangsters tries a different tactic: he approaches them in a bar with an offer to come work for him. He offers them €10,000 if they return the weapons and conduct a murder of Peppe O'Cavallaro, in fact uncle Bernardino (Bernardino Terracciano, later seized on suspicion of extorting protection money and having ties to the Casalesi clan
Casalesi clan
The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno.Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederation of clans in the Caserta area...
, part of the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
mafia). They accept the offer, which turns out to be a trap, as they are ambushed and killed by Giovanni, Bernardino, Vittorio and others at the location of their supposed target, an abandoned beach resort next to Regi Lagni canal estuary, and the last scene shows their bodies being taken away by a bulldozer.
Allegations regarding money laundering in the Twin Towers
At the end of the film, statements are made regarding the activities of the CamorraCamorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
. One allegation is that illicit money is being laundered through the rebuilding of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, "Gains from illegal activities are reinvested in legal ones worldwide .. The Camorra has also invested in the reconstruction of the Twin Towers". The film does not outline the actual mechanism of money laundering with respect to the reconstruction of the Twin Towers. The buildings and land at the site are owned and controlled by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
and Larry Silverstein
Larry Silverstein
Larry A. Silverstein is an American businessman, and real estate investor and developer in New York City.Silverstein was born in Brooklyn, and became involved in real estate, together with his father, establishing Silverstein Properties...
. Silverstein is using his $4.55 billion insurance payout from the September 11 attacks for the reconstruction.
Critical reception
Gomorrah has received widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregation website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a score of 91% based on reviews from 137 critics, with an average score of 7.7/10. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the film a weighted score of 87/100, based on 30 critiques, which it ranks as "universal acclaim". In reviewing Garrone's film based on the book, Christoph Huber wrote: "With its interest in moving beyond the categories of novel or non-fiction, Saviano's work has been identified as part of a heterogeneous strain of national literature, subsumed as the New Italian Epic
New Italian Epic
New Italian Epic is a definition suggested by the Italian author Wu Ming 1 to describe a body of literary works written in Italy by various authors starting in 1993, at the end of the ‘First Republic’. This body of works is described as being formed of novels and other literary texts, which share...
. A term that certainly isn't disgraced by Gomorrah, the film.".
Top ten lists
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008.- 2nd - Josh Rosenblatt, The Austin Chronicle
- 5th - Kenneth TuranKenneth TuranKenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
(tied with Happy-Go-LuckyHappy-Go-LuckyHappy-Go-Lucky is a 2008 British Comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. The screenplay focuses on a cheerful and optimistic primary-school teacher and her relationships with those around her...
) - 5th - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
- 5th - Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
- 6th - A.O. Scott, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- 6th - Wesley MorrisWesley MorrisWesley Morris is a film critic at The Boston Globe where he reviews films alongside Ty Burr. Morris and Burr also make regular appearances on NECN to discuss the latest films and do the weekly Take Two film review video series on Boston.com...
, The Boston GlobeThe Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993... - 7th - Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
- 10th - EmpireEmpire (magazine)Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
Awards and nominations
The movie was premiered in North America on September 7, 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival2008 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This 33rd annual festival was from September 4 to September 13, 2008...
. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
and won the Grand Prix
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008
2008 Cannes Film Festival
The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 14 to May 25, 2008. In addition to films selected for competition this year, major Hollywood productions such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Kung Fu Panda had their world premieres at the festival.The British press...
. It won the Ari-Zeiss Award at the Munich Film Festival. The film was chosen by the National Association of Cinemagraphic Industries to represent Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in contention for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards
81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
. Despite the earlier success at Cannes, and defying expectations, it failed to be short-listed. On December 11, Gomorra was given a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film. Gomorra won five awards at the 2008 European Film Awards, including Best European Film in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
on December 6, 2008. The film also received seven awards at the 2009 David di Donatello Awards (Italian version of the Oscars).
Historical basis
The film, following the book it is based on, portrays events identifiably similar to actual historical ones; compare the Scampia feudScampia feud
The Scampia feud was a feud between the Camorra gangs in the neapolitan quartiere of Scampia and it broke out in 2004 and 2005...
. In the film's credits, the filmmakers thank the districts of Scampia
Scampia
Scampìa is a modern suburb in the north of Naples. The population is about 80,000.-Geography:The district lies in the far north of Naples. To the south are the suburbs of Piscinola-Marianella, Miano and Secondigliano.-History:...
and Torre del Greco
Torre del Greco
-Main sights:*Roman archaeological remains, including the so-called "Villa Sora" , probably a property of the Flavians.*Monastery of the Zoccolanti, with a cloister housing 28 frescoed panels depicting the life of St...
, as well as the district and police force (Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
) of nearby Boscoreale
Boscoreale
Boscoreale is a comune and town in the province of Naples, Campania, located in the Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio under the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, known for the fruit and vineyards of Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio...
; these three suburban areas around the Bay of Naples feature cityscapes appropriate for filming this story. Also, the scene at the truck stop where Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
is seen wearing one of the tailor's dresses is based on a portion of the book where Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
wore a counterfeit dress to the Oscars. Garrone could not obtain that footage from the Academy and was forced to use this footage of Johansson at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 2006 (even though reports indicate this was a vintage gown).
Soundtrack
- "Macchina 50", Rosario Miraggio
- "Esageratamente", Anthony
- "La nostra storia", Raffaello
- "O' schiavo e o' re", Nino D'AngeloNino D'AngeloGaetano "Nino" d'Angelo is an Italian singer. He was born in San Pietro a Patierno, a suburb of Naples. Nino had a very difficult childhood, and to help his family's poor financial condition he left the school and started working at a very young age.Thanks to Alberto Lupo he was able to enter the...
- "Ma si vene stasera", Alessio
- "Xiao cheng gu shi", Teresa TengTeresa TengTeresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
- "Brava gente", Nino D'AngeloNino D'AngeloGaetano "Nino" d'Angelo is an Italian singer. He was born in San Pietro a Patierno, a suburb of Naples. Nino had a very difficult childhood, and to help his family's poor financial condition he left the school and started working at a very young age.Thanks to Alberto Lupo he was able to enter the...
- "Must pray", Pieter Vercampt
- "Sadeness (Part I)Sadeness (Part I)"Sadeness " is a 1990 single created by the musical project Enigma. The song was the first of four singles from the project's first album MCMXC a.D. and upon release became an international smash hit, reaching number one in 24 countries and the top ten in four others including the United States...
", EnigmaEnigma (musical project)Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May... - "I feel the love", Lovematic
- "Play my music", Sandy Chambers
- "Un giorno d'amore", Daniele Stefani
- "L'amica di mia moglie", Tommy Riccio
- "Herculaneum", Massive AttackMassive AttackMassive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...