Departures

Winner of the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, Departures tells the story of a concert cellist named Daigo who undergoes a transformation following the death of his father and the dissolution of his Tokyo orchestra. Daigo retreats to his picturesque hometown in northern Japan to look for work and responds to an ad for a company called “Departures,” thinking it’s a travel agency. ‘Departures’ is a tonally eccentric, lushly-scored, moving and funny drama that uses the rituals of death to foster a greater appreciation of life. Excellent film, really enjoyed by all members.

Gomorrah

Tuesday 16th March

Starting at 8pm sharp

Brogans Inn Kilbrogan

Nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 Gomorrah is an award winning film involving a multi-plotted story encompassing two Neapolitan 'families' hell bent on wiping each other out.

Dodging the bullets and police are Don Cico (Imparato), an elderly, soft-spoken man whose job it is to pay the families whose relatives are in jail; Scarface fan Marco (Marco Micur) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) are two teenagers looking to break into a life of crime; 13-year-old Toto (Albruzzese) hopes that being a drug carrier will provide for his family; Pasquale (Salvatore Cantalupo) works for a Gomorrah-run haute couture business but defies the rules and breaks out on his own; and Roberto (Paternoster) does his best to steer clear of the troubles but his clean job is dirtier than first realised.

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.

Gomorrah is a violent but realistic look at the 'other mafia,' but if you're thinking The Godfather think again, as this group aren't as elegant and their businesses not as structured as The Corleones. It's a vicious and cruel jungle these characters inhabit and director Garrone doesn't allow the viewer escape from the horror of the world; we never get a glimpse of the real world outside the rundown flats the families own.

The performances are flawless and the characters well drawn, but cutting back and forth between the various stories, of which there are too many, Gomorrah can lose any momentum it attempts to build up. Saying that, crime fans will love this fresh take on their favourite genre.