Niccolò Ammaniti is like an Italian cousin of David Peace in that he likes to add gothic flourishes to his stories with a strong emphasis on shock value. Ammaniti is one of a generation of writers dubbed ‘gioventù cannabili’ (young cannibals) alongside writers like Luisa Brancaccio, Alda Teodorani, Matteo Cutomi and Paolo Caredda. These have brought a Punk meets horror splatter sensibility to the relatively sedate world of fiction.
The global success of the novel and film ‘Io Non Ho Paura’ (I’m not scared) brought Ammaniti perilously close to mainstream acceptance. That story showed a maturity to prove that he was more than just about shock.
With ‘Come Dio Comanda’ (As God commands) he seems at pains to show that he is not going soft – at least that’s the impression I get form the movie version which, like ‘I’m Not Scared’ was also filmed by Gabriele Salvatores. .
At the heart of the story is the brutal character of Rino (Filippo Timi) – a violent, misogynistic Nazi sympathiser. Rino is a single parent, his teenage son Cristiano (Alvaro Caleca) shows signs of following in his father’s footsteps but there’s also hint that he is more sensitive. Rino wants to toughen him up for the tough world. The third piece of the triangle in this twisted tale is a simpleton who for reasons not explained is named after a pizza topping – ‘Quattro Formaggi’ (Four cheeses) played by Elio Germano.
When the film begins it seems as though we are going to see the struggle these misfits have to eek out a living in a straight world where work opportunities are limited. The issue of foreigners taking over unskilled jobs is raised but this social drama quickly gets sidetracked never to return.
SPOILER PLOT SUMMARY : Quattro hits on Fabiana one of Cristiano’s classmates mistaking her for a soft porn starlet he’s besotted with. He begins stalking her and kills her with a rock in a wood when she resists his advances. (The fact that the girl has Robbie Williams’ ‘She’s The One’ on her i-pod immediately marks her as a victim!). Rino is summoned to help and the shock causes a brain hemorrhage and he collapses near the body of the girl. All this time the rain is pissing down making for a very muddy bloody scene. Quattro does a runner. Cristiano arrives on the scene and thinks his Dad is the killer. It’s still pissing down. He drags the two bodies to his Dad’s van and drives the bodies home. He gets medical help for Rino and dumps the girl’s body in a river. Rino is in a coma, Quattro gets even crazier and plans to pull the plugs on Rino’s life support system. When foiled he becomes gradually more frantic and ends up hanging himself. The son discovers the body and with it Fab’s i-pod. He puts two and two together and realises his Dad is innocent. Rino makes a miraculous recovery in time for a final tear -jerker reconciliation scene – cue Antony singing ‘Knocking on heaven’s door’. The End.
The descent from social realism into grotesque melodrama makes for a highly confusing movie. I suspect the book (which I haven’t read) fills in some of the gaps the movie version leaves unplugged. I hope so. The performances here are excellent but the film is all over the place.
