now that I've finished Gomorra I'm looking around at what's been written about it, and the way it's marketed to english-speaking audiences vs. the rest of the world is making me feel fucking insane
English-language press: Gomorrah is a gritty Italian crime drama set in the hard slums of Naples, where Don Savastano rules the streets with an iron fist and only the merciless survive. The series follows the bloody power struggle between his son, Gennaro, and Ciro the Immortal, his ruthless second-in-command. The civil war they ignite will leave a trail of bodies in their wake as they forge alliances and betray their closest allies to seize control of the Savastano empire.
Every other language in the fucking world: Gomorra is about the predatory world of violence which grips communities that, due to poverty or political corruption, have been left behind. It's an epic love story that explores the deep relationship between two men who have been friends, enemies, family, paramours, and something beyond all of those. We must look at their world through the eyes of these complicit, tainted characters to understand the torture it inflicts on the ones we love, and to break down the old mythologies about crime, violence and masculinity that imprison us all.
meanwhile in italy:
