Gomorra La Serie (TV Show)

Gomorra La Serie (Created by Roberto Saviano)/2014

Gomorra takes you into the mythical world of Neapolitan Mafia; the world of traditions, loyalty and religion. The world on display is markedly different from modern western society yet the human nature that we find is immediately relatable; the hunger for power, greed, passion and love.

Gomorra is based on the award winning film of the same name (based on the book written by Roberto Saviano). Each episode focuses on a particular character in the world of Mafia families in Naples. The stories of the characters and their rise and fall are intricately woven into the broader power dynamic between the Savastano and Salvatore families under the pressing gloom of Mt Vesuvius, which features frequently in the backdrop. We meet paranoid bosses, scheming servants, young lovers and an innocent working class boy in the whirlwind of ruthless violence.

In the opening 2 or 3 episodes there were moments where the series tried to provide comic relief; this came across cheesy and, in my view, denigrated the show somewhat. However as the tension escalated the comic reliefs dissipated and the series became a gripping tale of survival and tragedy where each episode delivered a knock-out performance.

I also loved the look and sound of the series. Some might say it is a bit heavy on filters but I think it adds a surreal, manga-like feel. The cinematography of the series is stunning. Each scene appears to have been carefully chosen for its design or architectural quality. Not only does the series show lots of well-designed and interesting buildings, it seems to really exploit modern spaces, lights and visual lines in indoor scenes. In some respects it provided a breath of fresh air with its modern simplicity against the antiquated and traditional culture of the Mafia.

The soundtrack is done by an Italian group called Mokadelic which was reminiscent of the Mogwai of the French show The Returned. The track ranged from operatic melodies of euphoria to electronic grind of human struggles while the Neapolitan dialect spoken in the series adds strong emotive colour to the sounds.

All in all this is the best TV series I’ve seen in a long time and I can’t wait till season two in May 2016.

The Affair (TV Show)

The Affair (Created by Hagai Levi and Sarah Treem)/2015

Why do people throw away lives they have built over decades in order to pursue the half-promise of a happier existence with a relatively unknown romance? The Affair provides various answers to this question via the characters that form the complex interpersonal landscape of the show.

The Affair season one had a sluggish start. We find Noah Solloway (Dominic West) arriving in Montauk, an idyllic American seaside town, with his wife and four kids, and quickly embarking on an intense summer-long affair with Alison Lockhart. Alison is a local married woman, but seems to have never recovered from the loss of a child in a tragic accident. Each episode in the first season is split in two: one half showing events from Noah’s point of view and the other from Alison’s. Mid-way through the first season I felt the show was a bit claustrophobic, and not really going anywhere; however, the Affair substantially improved in the second season as the events are also examined through the eyes of Helen Solloway and Cole Lockhart: the spouses.

Both Noah and Alison enter into their affair to escape from something. Alison is shattered by the death of her son and cannot stand all the memories that remain in Montauk. Her relationship has broken down, and she and Cole no longer have a drive to succeed in life, or even to live: their love seems to have died with their son, and they appear to be merely playing the roles of their previous selves. Noah, recently failed to get any publicity as an author, feels belittled by the constant presence and condescension of Helen’s wealthy, successful parents; he is also a romantic idealist and is prone to viewing life as if it was a novel; he is depressed by his mediocrity and the ennui of everyday existence.

In season two we start to get the sense that Noah’s constant striving for a sense of significance and Alison’s melancholy may not be entirely the result of their situations, but are qualities inherent to their personalities, only lying temporarily dormant when the fierce passion of new romance takes flight. It doesn’t take long for the excitement and exaltation of their affair to become (inevitably) bogged down by the realities of children, work and social expectations.

The Affair should ideally be watched carefully, as characters are presented differently, depending on whose filter the show is playing through. Noah, for example, is more romantic and less aggressive when the story is told through his point of view. However, this close attention to detail is not essential to enjoy the show. It is an extremely pretty show, with a clever use of temporal rearrangement and a wonderful opening track by Fiona Apple.

The tension also builds through the introduction of a death in the Montauk community as the police begin to focus their investigation on Noah. This criminal element works well, and adds a further interesting component to the show as the truth of what happened is not revealed until the closing episodes of season two.

This is not merely a show about romance, but is about the complications of family life, lust and loss, and how quickly life can change, bringing about new successes and losses unforeseen in the ecstatic vision that accompanies affairs.

Shame (film)

Shame (Directed by Steve McQueen)/ 2011

Shame is a movie about sexual addiction. It is one of Steve McQueen’s three powerful movie collaborations with Michael Fassbender. It is minimalist, sad, and brilliant.

The main character, Brandon (played by Fassbender), and his sister Sissy (Carry Mulligan) lived an unhappy childhood that is barely spoken of. The result is two people struggling with a deep sense of personal unhappiness, which drives them towards addictive and self-destructive behavior.

Brandon engages in sexual frenzies whenever stress enters his life. He rarely seems to enjoy the experiences, but is a man caught in the spiral of addiction. The movie argues that sexual addiction is connected deeply with depression, and is triggered by stressful life events. Moreover, like other kinds of addictions, the addict ceases to enjoy the experiences, and sex merely turns into a way to numb psychic pain.

The most poignant part of the movie involves Brandon going on a date with an attractive and kindly woman from his work. He boasts arrogantly that he does not believe in relationships, and that his longest relationship was four months. She questions how he can have such a negative view towards relationships without ever experiencing one. We sense that he knows he is not telling the truth, and he is justifying addictive behavior through an ideology he does not actually believe.

He eventually takes his colleague back to a hotel room for sex, but cannot go through with it as he knows he will end up hurting her. He asks her to leave and rings a prostitute instead. He is shown as a man that knows what he is but has not figured out what to do about it.

This is not a movie that tries to give answers and cast judgment. It simply wants to explain. Some viewers will perceive this movie as a compassionate take on an illness while others will argue it as justification of a lack of willpower. McQueen presents us with a very realistic life story about where such addiction comes from and in general a fine piece of artistic realism.