The Mafia Kills Only in Summer (2013)

Original Title

La mafia uccide solo d'estate

Genre

Comedy | Drama

Director

Pif

Country

Italy

Cast

Pif, Cristiana Capotondi, Claudio Gioè, Ninni Bruschetta, Alex Bisconti, Ginevra Antona, Maurizio Marchetti, Rosario Lisma, Barbara Tabita, Antonio Alveario, Totò Borgese

Storyline

Inspired by real events, the story is focused on Arturo (Alex Bisconti as a child, Pif as an adult), a young journalist whose life has been influenced by the Mafia since his childhood.

Opinion

Brilliantly written, The Mafia Kills Only in Summer is an original, and unusual approach to Mafia, that manages to balance in an exceptional way humour and drama.

First work of Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif, this film is surely a masterpiece, and it has a bigger impact not due the story itself, but by the way the story is told and shown, putting aside any celebration addressed to Cosa Nostra - thing that happens very often.
Narrated by Pif himself, the documentary look brings the audience into the story - which in my case is also my story - and makes them more involved.

The godfathers, always portrayed as powerful and strong men, are this time portrayed in a comical way. In his everyday life, Totò Riina looks like a simpleton, and as such makes us laugh. But then, when he orders the death of politicians, and magistrates, we are brought back to reality, and we realize that there wasn't much to laugh about.

The actors are all great. I am actually very impressed by Alex Bisconti who plays Arturo as a child, and mostly by Pif as adult Arturo, since he is not even an actor. 

Quotes

Arturo: When I became a father, I understood that parents have two basic tasks. The first one is defending their sons from the evil of the world. The second is to help them recognise it.