Matteo Garrone
Dogman

Anyone, especially after the conclusion of the last Cannes Film Festival, has heard at least some chatter about the true crime story that inspired the subject of Dogman.

It was more or less everywhere: from the small news on Upday announcing a compensation claim by Vincenzina Ricci against director Matteo Garrone, to the segment by Le Iene with a spectacular interview (à la Alan Tonetti) with the Canaro della Magliana, to prime time TV in Un giorno in pretura, featuring the highlights of the trial against De Negri, with Petrelluzzi's invitation to watch the movie at the Cinema.

The facts, the Magliana, the truth, the emasculation, the shampoo - in short, the inspiration, we'll leave it aside for a moment. The story of Marcello and Simone is the story of a relationship, two polarities that attract and invert each other, the antipodes that meet, the parallels that touch. On one side, a meek man seeking some extra earnings in illegality; on the other, the uncontrollable boisterousness of a beast exerting its deliberately physical and unconsciously psychological power. There is no revenge. There is no David versus Goliath. Here, David saves the life of his Goliath, takes a sentence in his place, follows him, searches for him, with inevitable consequences.

Garrone does not force his hand to showcase a recognizable style; he prefers to find the right photography, transform the set into a stage, direct the orchestra, and give the technique a descriptive-empathic function. Just think of Simone's entrances on stage, never announced by a cut or camera movement: the lens always remains on Marcello, and it's when his gaze changes and his demeanor becomes intimidated that Simone has forcefully entered the scene. Indeed, Marcello Fonte stands in front of the camera for almost the entire film duration, but despite the omnipresence and the performance that leaves one speechless, nothing of everything else falls into the background. Starting with Edoardo Pesce (who plays Simone). Marcello Fonte, not exactly a polished actor but neither a random street pick, has neorealism written all over his face. For his role, exactly what Marcello Fonte is was needed. But Edoardo Pesce is another story, and as a simpleton Cesarone, he steals the bulk from Marv of Sin City, becomes a cocaine addict, and delivers a performance that is an Italian answer to Tom Hardy.

A dualism as a pretext to find balance in confusion, escaping from oneself and ending up alone. And to think that in a few days another movie inspired by the same story should be released, Rabbia Furiosa - Er Canaro, by Sergio Stivaletti, which judging by the trailer seems to satisfy all those who assumed Garrone's work would be an hour and a half of torture, the revenge of the weak on the strong, as far (it seems to be) as possible from the sumptuous work that is Dogman.