gomorrah (2008)

originally i missed gomorrah theatrically, due to a summer in paris, alas i was looking forward highly to catching up with the film on dvd. matteo garrone's insight into one of the worlds 'silent' mafia's proved a great watch, if a little more inaccessible than originally expected (not that thats a negative thing, im just a little surprised that the film received such high crossover appeal). the film consists of several intertwining stories, each of which revolve around a different aspect of the camorra, the naples organised crime group. the story of two young upstarts is the most immediate and forthcoming, and i can understand just why their visages adorned the marketing campaign, yet for me the story of the haute couture tailor turned truck driver proved to be the most memorable segment, and the one that stuck with me greatest afterwards.

considering the nature of the story, ''gamorrah'' is a staggering achievement. the way in which, alongside the source material book, ''gamorrah'' single handedly managed to bring to light a previously little known crime bracket is interesting to, as prior to this films exposure i had never actually heard of the camorra. the title itself is an interesting commodity, with it being a biblical take on the name of the camorra. comparisons between naples and gomorrah may be a little brash, but understable all the same.

the element of crime (1984)

lars von trier's directorial debut tells the story of a detective provoked to return to his old beat in order to solve an old case. the film has a very unique look about it, in that it is largely filtered with a sepia tone, albeit with vivid occasional splashes of blue. british actor michael elphick leads the cast as the aforementioned detective, following the trail of a serial killer using a technique outlined in a book, the element of crime of the title.

following 'europa' i was very much looking forward to checking out some similiar period von trier, and 'the element of crime' didnt disappoint, in fact i found it to be much better than 'europa'. the concept and the style worked perfectly together, both really complimenting each other, making a film that is not just style over substance, but incredibly powerful at the same time. the world of the film reminded of the work of gilliam and early jeunet, creating, similiarly to 'europa' a very old fashioned future, except that the world of 'europa' was a very futuristic past.

as to whether the film will hold up to repeated viewings im not sure, but the initial experience alone was incredibly inspiring, leading to what i would consider one of the best screenings i have seen in a long time.