PLOT : This film tells of a low-grade gangster scam whereby the dirt poor of Palermo volunteer to have a leg or arm broken for insurance, of which a good proportion is paid back to those who fix the procedure for them. Bound by a web of poverty themselves the various foot soldiers gather friends and acquaintances to the scheme, getting a handout themselves for the introduction. Further up the pyramid are the ones who do the breaking, paid a higher tranche of the money, the nurses who stay shtum for a cut, and at the top the capo with a degree, a glamorous wife and a nice flat, who does little other than make the rules and scrape in the money. Vincenzo lives with his mother, a superficially sweet old lady, who reveals as a monster in front of our eyes and is the malign force behind the fall from grace of her son, which provides the moral tipping point of the film.
Vincenzo Pirrotta. born in Palermo on 6 February 1971. He graduated at the National Institute of Ancient Drama. Since 1996, he has been conducting research on popular traditions, bringing archaic practices into experimental theatre. Vincenzo Pirrotta is the founder of “Esperidio”, a theatre company of which he is the artistic director. For the big screen, he participates in some of the most important and award-winning productions of recent years. Thus, we find him in Noi credevamo by Mario Martone, Il primo re by Matteo Rovere, Una storia senza nome by Roberto Andò and Il traditore by Marco Bellocchio. In 2022, his name rose to prominence with the first feature film he directed: Spaccaossa.
Length 2h 2min
Year 2022
Cast
Vincenzo Pirrotta, Selene Caramazza, Antonino “Ninni” Bruschetta, Giovanni Calcagno, Filippo Luna, Aurora Quattrocchi, Simona Malato, Luigi Lo Cascio,
Distribution True Colours - Glorious Films
Production Tramp Limited, Rai Cinema, with the support of Sicilia Film Commission