gudaulin

Only very rarely does a series succeed in creating an atmosphere and style that are difficult to liken to anything else. This series exudes bizarreness, darkness, and the mustiness of decades-old, neglected corners of a decaying house full of inhabitants with twisted characters, corroded by invisible evil. Sticky asphalt oozes from the cellars, altering characters and inducing strange hallucinations. No one and nothing can be trusted, and one mystery after another piles up. Even the main character is affected by paranoia, no longer trusting even his own father. For me, far superior to the overrated and overly convoluted Dark. A lot of bang for your buck. Overall impression: 90%.

Once I saw the name in the director's chair, I knew satisfaction wouldn't come. Unlike the film critics, Jasmila Žbanić failed to convince me of her qualities despite her previous works. Even Aida doesn't excel in captivating its audience; similar to Žbanič's previous works, I felt there was a lackluster handling of the filmic image and an inability to evoke emotions in the viewer at points that clearly deserved it. While artistically only average, there's still the explosive topic of the largest massacre with a hint of genocide since World War II in Europe... So, I'll slightly squint to justify the fourth star and give it a 70% overall impression.

The film benefits from the popularity of the series and the charisma of the main character, but in terms of the screenplay, it's somewhere around the level of the 5th season, which is not praise but simply an observation that the fatigue of the screenwriting team set in earlier. We can observe sentimental elements to a greater extent in the form of flashbacks from Ciro's childhood and his "paternal" relationship with the Italian community of his friends, as well as longing for Ciro's lost family. The logic of the characters' thinking and behavior is also not a priority for the screenwriters, which is most evident in the scenes of the final settling of scores. Ciro has a remarkable ability as a mafia man to utter heartfelt wisdom in inappropriate situations and to throw noble thoughts into the mix, but it comes off as inauthentic and disruptive. Additionally, viewers unfamiliar with the Gomorrah series won't be fully oriented in the characters and their relationships. Considering the nostalgia for the series, I award it 3 stars and a 65% overall impression.