Original subtitles

WOMEN'S PRISON

Ready?

Be quiet, please!

Ma'am, what's your name?

I'm Maria.

Where are you from, how old are you, what are you in for?

I'm from Naples.

- Neighbourhood? - Barra.

Age 42. I'm in for dealing.

- Dealing what? - Cocaine, crack.

- How long have you been in jail? - 13 months.

I have a three-year sentence.

I'm Vincenza Ioia, I'm in for drug dealing.

- How long have you been here? - Almost seven months...

but I already did eight consecutive years.

I'm Gianna,

I'm...

31 years old.

I have four kids...

and I've been a widow for many years.

In order to provide for my kids...

I would steal.

That's why I'm back in prison again.

I'm Suele, I'm from San Giovanni, I'm an inmate.

I was arrested for robbery.

I have an 8-year-old daughter, I have a 2-year, 2-month sentence.

This is the third time I've come here, for robbery every time.

Okay: Giovanna Rivoli,

born in Naples, I live in Secondigliano.

I'm here for 1, 100 euro.

I intended to sell drugs.

I'm here for the intention.

But since I had a criminal record...

I'm in here.

I'm Filomena Straiano.

I sold counterfeit cassette tapes, videotapes, and recently CDs,

that's why I'm here.

In all, it's five years and five days,

I got three years less as a pardon,

so I'll be in here for two years and ten days.

I'm Antonella Sallustri, I'm in for dealing drugs: cocaine.

It's my first time.

I had no prior arrests, neither did my husband, we both got arrested.

They caught us with 25 grams.

I don't even know how I ended up in here!

Really, I'm suffering.

- How old are you? - 25.

Head count!

- Guys, head count! - Head count, move it!

Stinky!

- Good morning. - Morning.

. .6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11...

- Who's missing? - The usual.

- Are there any problems? - Number 13, Armando.

Number 13...

And?

I need a medical visit.

- You're not well either? - No.

- Name? - Francesco Longo.

Who else doesn't feel well?

You're all well?

- Good day. - Good day.

Short film by Emilio Marsili

NAPLES '66

Naples: a metropolis,

ex-capital, a million inhabitants,

a million TV sets.

Serious problems which await solutions

from a large-scale urban rehabilitation project

that will save the city from its environmental and social bottleneck.

Naples is an impenetrable city.

Size-wise, it's one of Italy's smallest municipalities.

The city, which has expanded its boundaries on all sides,

can no longer carry out urban politics within these confines.

One main problem is building speculation,

which, after the war, in some way had free rein.

Buildings reconstructed in alleyways,

homes that were built up past their original height

with reinforced concrete

that now stand 8-10 floors high,

truly disgraceful from a civil point of view.

We can say that this essentially destroyed the city

and created a great obstacle for the city's environmental rehabilitation.

I'm Anna I'm from the Spanish Quarters.

I'm from a good family:

my father's a worker, my mum's a housewife.

None of them have a record, I'm the black sheep.

I always worked, then ten years ago I became an addict.

One thing led to another:

first robbery, then mugging, then bank robbery...

And now I'm here, for robbery.

The Spanish Quarters

have lots of good people but also lots of...

unlucky people, I'd say,

I don't think anyone is born to steal, use drugs, or live this way.

You're led to live this way.

- What part of Naples are you from? - The centre.

I have four daughters and two sons.

One of my daughters is separated from her husband.

She's 21.

Two aren't separated but their husbands are in jail.

When did you first use drugs?

I was 14 years old.

With some neighbourhood friends smoking Kobret heroin.

- What neighbourhood? - Via Stadera.

- The centre of Naples? - Yes.

I was 13 when my father died.

He died of a heart attack.

He had some chaos in his life, not drugs though,

street things...

My father... how can I explain him?

He was involved in it.

- The mafia? - Yes.

He only sniffed on Saturdays. One Saturday he had a heart attack...

- He sniffed what? - Coke.

He had a heart attack.

First, he was sent to the nuthouse...

the second time he had a heart attack.

My mum became anorexic.

She became depressed because of my dad,

and because I was using drugs.

After this shock, my sister started taking tranquillizers.

We didn't plan on wrecking our family.

I'm Maria De Marco, I'm 46 years old,

and I've been involved in politics for about ten years.

I'm from here, the Spanish Quarters.

My family's from this neighbourhood, one of the oldest in the city.

The Spanish Quarters are devastated

by increasingly alarming social statistics.

A network of solidarity, which was a social guarantee for our parents,

has now disappeared.

It was transversal, for all social and economic classes.

The Spanish Quarters safeguarded the presence of all social classes.

There was a process of slow disintegration

that the locals already began to sense

with the arrival of American troops

after the liberation from the Germans, and the American occupation.

That was the first time the residents here understood

they had to sell themselves: sell to someone, sell something.

This began to damage that network I mentioned before.

Lower the damn volume!

No respect for anyone!

Hey!

Lower the volume!

Kill yourself! Go get a job!

Will you knock it off with that cell phone!

- You spend all day picking on me! - Kill yourself!

- Watch what you say, you drunk! - Kill yourself!

Go to work! Why the hell am I here?

It's your fault!

Isn't your tongue burning?

Shut up, you're nothing but a rotten junkie!

That's what you are!

I'm wasting myself here!

Pig!

Where are you going?

Right, defend them!

Defend them, that's how you ruined those kids!

You're the ruin of this family, understand?

St. Lucy should burn you, you and your kids!

You ruined those kids!

St. Lucy, you have

A tiny stretch of beach...

- But the further away you are... - Hey!

Kill yourself!

The more beautiful you seem.

This place is called DAMM, "Diego Armando Maradona Montesanto".

It's a social centre dedicated to Maradona.

We have lots of activities here for the neighbourhood kids and youth.

Here they train to become jugglers and acrobats.

They I earn circus arts.

Obviously it's run autonomously:

we have no financing or funding.

Like the park I'll show you after,

this building was abandoned after being built in '92.

We residents of the neighbourhood squatted and converted it.

Here's another room.

It's a library...

and a space for holding workshops for kids.

In this lovely room, we hold meetings

for the DAMM collective leaders

to solve ever-present problems and propose projects.

This is a help centre for drug addicts.

There's a problem with 13-year-olds destroyed by cocaine.

This is the theatre, DAMM's heart, which is currently very active.

Hi.

We're filming, okay?

This is one of DAMM's groups, they rehearse here.

They recently fixed up the whole room.

Here, they produce shows

and try to encourage non-mainstream independent projects.

We do theatre, film screenings, and discussions, and such.

- We'll leave you in peace. - Bye.

- See you. - Where's the horse?

This place contains 12 years of history, events, incidents,

successes, mishaps...

That's why it's dedicated to Diego Armando Maradona:

a popular figure that affected the neighbourhood.

We wanted our social centre

to have an identity that common people could relate to,

and in those years Maradona was still...

a phenomenon in Naples.

This is the DAMM yard-garden.

This is the upper part. We have shows in the amphitheatre below.

We called the centre "Diego Armando Maradona"

to make it inviting for all,

not just people who are politically and socially active.

I'm Maurizio Braucci.

I was born in Montesanto, a neighbourhood in central Naples.

I'm 40, I'm a writer, but I'm also interested in...

projects that attempt to improve the situation in this city.

- Do you pay rent for this place? - No.

This place belongs to the City of Naples.

Theoretically, it's illegal,

but in reality it's the most legal place in the neighbourhood

because we do things to help the people.

I'm Roberto Paolo, I'm 42.

I'm the chief leader writer of "Roma".

I mainly deal with crime news and judicial news

for this daily newspaper which is Naples' oldest.

Where are we right now?

In my home on Via Aniello Falcone.

- What kind of area is this? - One of the best in Naples.

- We're in the hills. - What does "one of the best" mean?

That you get robbed less often here.

- Less often? - Yes.

And your neighbours aren't all involved with the mafia.

- Living here is a daily battle? - Yes, first of all it's a battle...

against the problems of the city.

Against insanity...

isolation...

desperation of teenagers and young people who live in this place.

I didn't choose to raise my kids here, I'd rather not be here.

As soon as I can, if I can, I'll take them elsewhere.

It would be the greatest gift to them, after the gift of life.

Why would you take them out of Naples?

It's not the best place to grow up.

Naples is a city of tension, of violence,

you can sense violence even when it doesn't erupt.

It's like a volcano, like Vesuvius: eternally in tension.

Vesuvius harbours lava, Naples harbours violence.

People sense this violence that's always ready to erupt

and they live in tension.

Even those who aren't criminals sense this tension, on the streets...

- Regular people? - Everywhere.

The world itself has become more violent

and Naples is part of the world, so it's more violent.

But I think nowadays it's similar to many other metropolises.

Of course it has characteristics of a southern metropolis,

like in Africa or South America

where there are...

basic, fundamental conditions that have yet to be improved.

But at the same time it has Western aspirations and demands.

It manifests many contradictions, also due to its particular history...

its special history.

For example...

this morning a chic restaurant in the centre burned to the ground.

A fellow reporter went there and was attacked by the owners,

they didn't want the papers to write about it.

We thought it might've been set on fire by the mafia,

instead we discovered it was an accident.

Why were they so aggressive then? They were afraid anyway!

There's always tension,

in any social class, in any neighbourhood of the city.

This street used to be very peaceful,

now it's the backdrop for constant night robberies.

In the past few years this happened:

part of the city, the privileged, bourgeois, integrated part,

had many opportunities, lots of developmental progress.

While another part was neglected,

left to its own fate,

and it became bombarded by consumerist messages.

Now they realize the other part of the city is pissed off

and will always be a pain

for the other part with its crimes or protests.

But this smaller part realized

that there are few privileges that can only belong to few.

I think anyone can have a chance outside of Naples,

or outside of their own world.

The chance to change, to improve, and to work.

It's true, there's not much work and lots of unemployment,

but I know people who come from bad neighbourhoods

who managed to leave.

But I'm a pessimist...

because they seem to be slaves to their value system,

to their cultural system

which is a criminal system based on bullying.

They don't get out of it because they don't want to.

- What happened, Ciccio? - Things aren't going well.

What do you mean, because of us?

One of you.

You won't like what I have to say.

- Carmine. - Carminiello?

He's a traitor.

Walterino always considered him extra trustworthy

because he's one of us and is married to his niece.

But now he opened his eyes, Carmine mingles with them.

With the Stabile guys?

Are you sure?

I'm sure, Sebastiano.

Take care of it.

- Us? - You, you.

Carmine trusts you.

Is that a problem?

Keep it clean.

It would be embarrassing for us if they found the body.

Kill him.

Once he's dead, spit in his face for me.

I'm 62.

My name is Anna Lestingi.

- What part of Naples are you from? - Via Duomo.

- In the centre? - Largo Donnaregina.

Did you ever have problems with the law before this?

Never before.

Never did anything before.

They had a file on me

from my time in the night clubs, understand?

Some people use that ugly word...

- Prostitution? - Yes.

I would get clients from night clubs and take them to hotels,

to make 100,000 lira for food.

It's nice to tell the truth!

I'm ashamed to say it in front of you because you're men...

but it's best to just say it.

We'd order drinks but would toss them.

- You wouldn't get drunk? - No, never.

We'd empty them on the floor, on the sawdust.

What a mess we made!

So you would get your clients drunk...

No, I never did. Americans are a bunch of drunks anyway!

They're real drunks!

The soldiers, the marines, you know?

They'd arrive in aircraft carriers

and go to night clubs.

Americans are the only ones who spent big bucks.

An Italian would buy one bottle. He'd say: "What do you want?

I already spent 100,000 lira and you want 100 more?"

But the American didn't understand a thing,

but he has to go back on board

so he lives it up: he spends loads.

What did you earn from it?

- We'd get a percentage. - How much?

For every chip... You know, like poker chips?

If the bottle cost 100,000 lira, we'd get 20,000 lira.

50,000 lira a day plus the chips.

The more chips you got, the more you earned.

Naples is surrounded by a cluster of municipalities

that constitute a ring of destitution around the city.

From Pozzuoli to Castellammare,

to Villa Literno, Aversa, Nola,

is where half of Campania's population is concentrated,

which congests the traffic to and from Naples.

We must lighten this congestion, break this ring of destitution,

hitch the city to its local, national, and European hinterland.

This requires political willingness

aimed at reorganizing industrial,

professional, and touristic initiatives into one focal point.

These are the necessary conditions for the ex-capital's rebirth.

As scheduled, meeting at 19:00 with the budget councillor.

He must find funding. We have to get out of here.

Yes, we must!

Don't worry, we'll settle it.

Protest march

of residents of the Vele projects being transferred!

Let's go to City Hall

and make them respect the agreed conditions!

Come on down, let's join the committee!

I'm Vittorio Passeggio, historical member

of the committee of the Vele in Scampia,

a housing project built 27 years ago which we deem uninhabitable

in our 20 year struggle,

which gave rise to a process of redevelopment of the area:

that is, Scampia, northern Naples.

The intention of architects at the time

was for these structures to represent an outlet for Naples,

which was expanding.

Seven mega-structures which host 1,200 families.

They have an H-plan with external corridors, webs of stairs...

Essentially, the Vele resulted in a prison-like feeling.

And in fact, it's as if we're locked in,

like a true and tried prison structure.

Not to mention other problems

the families living here had to face:

lack of work, etc...

These same living conditions

caused unimaginable damages.

Unfortunately in these outskirts,

the unemployment rate for young people is over 70%.

The meeting is tonight at 19:00 we have to go there!

We have to wait for the outcome of the meeting before going in.

- What neighbourhood are you from? - Secondigliano. Scampia.

That neighbourhood...

unfortunately is a place...

If I didn't live there, I wouldn't have gotten involved in drugs.

I got carried away by that environment.

My first offence was drug-related.

Now I'm in for verbal assault.

It's a place that's dilapidated.

There's nothing there.

No work...

That's what pushed me to do what I did.

Because as I said before, I was living in total poverty at home.

I had nothing, zero.

And that's how I ended up in this situation.

- Where'd you sell drugs? - In Secondigliano.

- Via Ghisleri. - In Scampia.

Scampia, yes.

How much do small dealers earn?

200-250 euro a day, but...

- What do they do with it? - They waste it.

Some smoke crack, some shoot up, some go to clubs...

How's life in Secondigliano?

Tell us about life there.

Well...

I live in my home, I work selling corn on the cob and slushies.

Secondigliano isn't exactly a nice place

but people mind their own business,

they live in peace.

Protest march of residents of the Vele projects!

When we speak of modern architecture, people tend to mistake

the meaning of the word.

People think modern architecture is the means of the architecture

and not its outcome.

We can say the means are splendid

but the application, subject to the economy of profit and consumption,

is the worst thing that could exist

in terms of human and civil interests.

Thus, average architecture, that which shapes our cities,

can be considered negative.

One of the first spots of negativity, if not the absolute first

is Naples itself.

Come on, let's move it!

- Just once... - You never know a thing!

I'll make some coffee, okay?

Can you lend me your white shirt?

Where's the coffee?

I'm making it.

Go ahead daddy-o, you're the oldest!

Get over here.

- Where's the coffee? - Hurry up with that coffee!

My father was killed in '95.

I lost my mother in 2002.

I was here, in jail.

They gave me an hour leave to go see her.

I have three sisters and two brothers.

They always come see me.

- Do you have kids? - No.

I dedicated my life to my siblings, you could say I raised them

since mum and dad were gone.

I was a sister and mother to them.

My mum had an illness.

She got it from eating something.

She had hepatic cirrhosis,

then it turned into a tumour.

I took care of her,

then they arrested me and she died two months later.

I still cry for her today.

- How old was she when she died? - 41.

This girl came to my house and said:

"Giovanna, your brother was arrested".

"What? He just stepped outside!"

"They just took him away in the patrol car."

I got in the car and went to the precinct.

She said: "Bring his things, he's being transferred to Poggioreale."

At the precinct I asked to see my brother

and they said: "Leave his things here, don't worry, he's fine."

I said: "Before leaving I want to make sure he's fine."

- I insisted, I got angry. - Why were you worried about this?

Because...

this always happens in Scampia,

not only do they arrest you, but they beat you up too.

This really upsets me

because even if a kid made a mistake, it's not right to beat him up.

That's how I see it.

Anyway, they insisted they wouldn't let me see him.

I was about to leave after raising hell

when I heard my brother: "Take the handcuffs off, let me pee!"

I went back in

and saw him: all swollen and covered in blood.

So I shoved a cop.

Three cops got medical reports

saying I attacked them.

So I got a summary judgment with a 2-year sentence.

I felt nothing but rage,

lots of rage because they hurt my brother.

I don't regret it.

I'd do it again, if necessary.

I'm Carmine Malinconico, I was born 51 years ago in the Naples area.

I'm president of the borough which includes Scampia.

It's Naples' eighth borough, it encompasses

Scampia, Piscinola-Marianella, and Chiaiano.

All of Scampia, which is a young neighbourhood,

it came to life in the 60s,

was conceived from the start as a place to live

but not a place for life.

Scampia is a non-lieu, a neighbourhood with no identity.

Public and administrative representatives, the State

have enormous responsibilities.

They made some wrong choices.

To citizens, to each single citizen,

each person in the flesh,

what could've been realistically asked of them?

To fill in for the shortcomings of the State?

To live as model citizens

in a context of... how shall I say it?

Of constantly repeated errors?

I consider this an unfair demand,

it's unrealistic.

I feel the citizens, in some way,

suffered for the State's errors

and then replicated them and multiplied them.

Multiplied them through bad behaviour.

Of course, the situation didn't help them live as model citizens.

There's a bar near here, come on.

They call him "The Swiss".

He got out of jail recently.

Now he's in Ercolano.

That's where we're going.

Ercolano?

Do we have connections?

Yes, we have a home base.

We have a man there.

He'll give us a car, the guns...

We'll stay there and wait,

as soon as we get the Cali

we go out, hit, and leave.

Yes, but...

how'll we get out of town?

Relax, it's all organized.

The guy who takes us will bring us back.

Door to door.

Me and Walterino got all the contacts.

Let the toll collector take a hit, pay him with this!

Here!

- Pay him with this, Sebastiano! - This stuff's pricey, boys.

Thanks.

They nabbed me and my daughter: that was the worst thing for me.

I was sitting outside of my house.

My daughter was inside reading a letter.

All of the sudden, the Carabinieri showed up.

I let them come inside because I had nothing to hide...

One of them grabbed my daughter,

she said: "This hash is mine, it's for personal use".

They took us to the precinct

and after a while said: "You're both going to jail".

I couldn't accept that my daughter would end up here.

After my hearing, my daughter was released and I felt better.

The detective called me

and said he was with my daughter at my house

or at the police station, I didn't understand.

Anyway, I ran home.

I got there and said: "The bag is mine"

because I saw my daughter was crying.

So they took me to the station and arrested me.

My daughter got house arrest.

That bag contained hash,

cocaine...

They also found four guns, two in the bag and two outside of someone's house.

Plus there were scales and transmitters.

All in one bag. Plus a knife.

We went into a store

and we took a jacket.

- How did you take it? - We detagged it.

Meaning?

We removed...

the security tag.

With the plea bargain I got two years, six months.

Then...

it was reduced to one year, three months.

- You had prior arrests? - Yes, lots.

I tried to mug a girl

with a syringe.

It failed so I ran, but not that far, in the same neighbourhood.

On Corso Vittorio Emanuele I saw a lady getting money at an ATM.

I followed her to her building, these two old ladies.

Two old I a dies. I hit them.

The girl I tried to mug before called the police,

they came and beat me up.

I was at my late father-in-law's house with my sister-in-laws.

My daughter was with her friends,

sitting near the table.

All of the sudden, a bunch of Carabinieri arrived,

in plain clothes, in uniform, all sorts.

They said...

"Ma'am open up your garage and the trailer."

They came there looking for something specific.

I said: "Hold on, I'll give you what you're looking for".

190 grams of cocaine

and 240 grams of hash,

plus a scale.

My story? It's not very nice.

I lived with my grandparents till I was 10

because my father was also always in jail.

My mum had me and my little brother.

I went to live with my grandmother

because my mum couldn't take care of us both.

Then when I grew up, I went to school.

I did three years of technical high school

then I met my husband, who had an honest job.

Then in time, he made some friends...

How can I put it?

Let's say bad influences.

And he became addicted.

He's a drug addict.

Then he got involved in the scene...

and now we're both in trouble.

I didn't want it.

But unfortunately...

I ended up in trouble too.

Visitor! Get ready, come on.

Change sheets!

This is the entrance to the social centre

in this neighbourhood, Ina Casa.

In establishing GRIDAS, our hope was

to try and reawaken the people

and their conscience.

GRIDAS stands for "Group to reawaken individuals from sleep"

in reference to Goya's phrase:

"The sleep of reason produces monsters".

Our goal was to create a place

where people could come to experience something different

compared to what normally happens around here.

Without discriminating anyone, of course.

Another bell, another sound.

This city is insanely neurotic.

People don't talk, they scream.

They don't say: "Could you buy some groceries?"

But "I told you a million times to go buy food!"

That's how they normally talk. "Are you pissed off?"

They say: "Me? No!"

After everything that happened, the clan wars, the deaths,

there was a huge uproar, everyone came here for interviews.

"Why all the dead people?"

And each time we would repeat

that the corpse on the ground shouldn't be what alarms people

because before that death with pools of blood and such,

there are deaths we don't see:

young people's consciences which have been killed...

the denial of young people's dreams.

This is even more serious than a corpse on the ground.

The point is: they build gigantic housing projects

and fill them with the most down and out people,

in order to get subsidized housing you must have problems:

father in jail,

paralysed family member...

dysfunctional situations...

Put them all together in a place where there is no work...

We have no movie theatre, there isn't one in this area.

It means everyone stays home

or goes out on the streets... to do what?

To I earn life from the street.

The person who teaches you becomes your mentor.

The mentor you find will guide you.

You might find a good mentor, like a youth counsellor

or a mentor who says: "Come here, I'll show you how to make money".

What did you do before...

Before beginning... Before transgressing?

- I don't understand. - What did you do before...

Before transgressing?

- I don't understand. - What'd you do before dealing drugs?

Nothing, I worked.

I went to nursery school, elementary school,

and I dropped out in middle school because I was pregnant.

- Do you read newspapers or books? - Sure.

What do you read?

The police blotter of Naples.

- That's all? - No way! I also go to school here.

- I'm finishing middle school here. - Did you ever read a book?

No, I get tired.

- You get tired? - Yeah, reading tires me out.

- Did you go to school? - I finished elementary school.

- Did you like school? - Yes, but...

My head was already unsettled.

I didn't feel like going, because I used to sell cigarettes.

I was out and about.

I finished school at age 10,

and at age 11 I was selling illegal cigarettes.

Where did you go to school?

In Secondigliano, Parini School.

- For how long? - I finished elementary school.

- Did you ever read a book? - No.

- Did you ever read a book? - Yes, here.

Which?

I read a book about the underworld.

- Title? - "Underworld".

Then I read another book.

"Go..." "Gomo..."

"Gomorrah", about the underworld.

You read "Gomorrah"? What did you think?

Meaning if it's true or not?

- You think it's true? - Yes.

It's that environment that leads you...

to a world... of ruin.

Even if you don't want to do it, that's the way the world is.

I shouldn't come play here anymore!

I'm wasting 50 euro a day here! Losing all the time!

Look, you're doing good!

What do you think about the mafia?

No comment.

Do you think...

it's possible to get rid of the mafia in a city like Naples?

If we want to, yes.

- Is there mafia in Torre Annunziata? - Sure.

Do you think the mafia is a bad thing or a good thing?

It's not a good thing.

They just killed a 27-year-old friend from my town.

I think the one wrong thing they do is spread drugs.

That's all the mafia does wrong.

They spread drugs around.

Do you think this city isn't able

to improve and change also because of the mafia?

Yes, it doesn't improve because of the mafia.

Because of the mafia, the people they kill, the drugs they sell...

The wars...

Is there mafia in the Spanish Quarters?

I don't know, how would I know?

I think it's everywhere. We are also the mafia.

I mean we're victims, I'm a victim of the mafia.

I'm Sergio Zazzera.

Neapolitan, 62 years old.

Up until a year and a half ago, I had been a judge

for 35 years.

I think the mafia is an anti-State organization.

An anti-State organization

which can only be defeated if the State

seriously wanted to defeat it.

After all, there were some historic moments

when the mafia was at least dormant.

In fact, the awakening of the mafia in Naples occurred

after a long initial dormancy before the outbreak of WWII,

after the arrival of Lucky Luciano in Naples

in 1949.

There was a long period when the mafia was not active.

It was its last period of dormancy.

Hey Carmine!

Hey, let me see that rabbit! Give me it!

The clan wars brought out the horror

of this social organization that is based

on enormous profits from drug traffic.

Let me point this out: where there's no development,

where there is no legal economy,

it's obvious that an illegal economy will arise

and accumulate obscene amounts of profit.

Clan wars aren't based on principals, they are money wars

between gangs who kill each other to get their share

of these immense profits, colossal amounts of money.

Who the fuck lived here?

- I need to take a shower. - Yeah, you sure do!

But we can't deny that this

generated a wave that spread through and invaded all of Naples.

Mafia money generated a river that involves everyone,

that made us accomplices.

Even going to a café for coffee means giving money to the mafia.

Eating at a restaurant, buying clothes in a store down town,

means contributing to the mafia.

By now all of us, in our daily activities, feed the mafia.

And in this sense, it's true that this culture of tyranny

encourages emulation even in people outside of that social class.

The mafia had a way of relating to power:

bids and funding.

In this sense, the State contributed

to the growth, the expansion of the mafia, the mob,

gangs, etc.

Nowadays the situation is different: it's business orientated.

Mafiosi have enterprises, or they even have ministerial roles.

So you don't know where their power begins or ends.

I gotta carry all these bags?

Got a problem, Sebastiano? Are you pissed off?

- Grab a bag, or else... - What?

- Jesus, he's grouchy. - Go grab a bag.

Sebastiano is pissed off!

I'm going.

Hey Sebastiano...

- Are we doing it here? - No, not inside.

In the fields.

We gotta hurry.

You're overdoing it, enough!

- Chill out. - You too.

In the fields?

It's better?

All right.

First of all, what we need is for the government

to implement a general anti-drug campaign.

After which, I'm not at all against the idea

of a liberalization which would

at least free society of other crimes

committed by drug users

while trying to obtain the money to purchase their drugs.

We all know that the cost of drugs also includes

the risk the seller is taking.

Once this risk disappears

because drugs can be purchased,

not like cigarettes from a convenience store,

but with a certain amount of caution

in a pharmacy, for example,

then the cost of drugs would decrease

because the risk factor will no longer be an issue.

I'm gonna snort it.

It's proven in investigations by international police:

large flows of capital from drug traffic and illegal businesses

end up in many legal businesses,

in international financial circuits.

Nobody investigates the origin of this cap it a I

because nobody is interested in knowing.

One thing must be said: in Naples there's a social class

that doesn't exist in any other Italian, European, or Western city.

Sociologists call them plebs, like the Medieval plebs.

Neapolitans have a derogatory term for it: "mao mao",

which underlines both the class and ethnic difference.

They say it takes an ethnologist, not a sociologist to study the mafia.

It's probably true that there's a group of Neapolitans

that are different from others, a different society.

What do I mean? It's simple.

Societies differ from each other

because they each have their own language, religion, and authority.

These so-called "mao mao", this part of Naples,

do not share my language, they don't understand me and vice versa.

Their religion, value system, and hierarchy are different than mine.

They have authorities and laws that are different from ours.

We both despise each other.

I learned one thing: an old legend exists in this city

about the fault of the slummers.

The slummers are always at fault

because they're rowdy, unmanageable, rude, and ignorant.

Thanks to this legend, the powerful prospered and continue to prosper.

It's very subtle because it's accepted in other parts of Italy too.

For example: in TV reports on the garbage emergency

there's always a subtle assumption: "This is what Neapolitans are like".

By means of warnings and emergencies, those who are in power

have always reaped benefits.

Money reached us, but always ended up in the wrong hands.

The state of emergency in Naples is a strategic element for power.

It must always be maintained high

in order to continue to maintain control and obtain funds.

In fact currently, in regards to the problem of organized crime,

the level of repression has noticeably increased

but the level of social intervention has not increased.

I am Rosa Iervolino,

I was born in Naples, in the Porto neighbourhood where I still live.

I am 70

and I've been Mayor of Naples since 2001.

In this city, the most evident and serious drama

is the lack of work opportunities.

I don't think individuals can be blamed for this.

We can't blame the unemployed because it's not their fault

if the job market is not capable of absorbing

all of the city's potential.

We can't blame the city administrators either.

I'm not trying to defend myself...

but if each of us could create jobs,

we would create them

with immense satisfaction, as well.

The process is much more complex.

We must find a way

for the city to develop, for commerce to develop,

for tourism to develop, as well as an industrial sector.

This cannot happen automatically,

and if it doesn't happen, it's not because someone obstructed it.

I don't think it's easy to identify individual blame in this case.

Does the town of Torre Annunziata help you?

No.

- Did you ever ask them for help? - No.

- Why? - Because I didn't need it.

My son works, he's 19 years old.

I have two younger kids, age 13 and 9,

they both go to school.

Do they get social service help?

No, because my husband works. They don't even need scholarships.

They used to give us ex-inmate aid, but not anymore.

- How much did you get? - 150 euro.

- A month? - Every six months.

- But not anymore? - No.

- Why? - Ercolano has too many inmates.

City residents who can't make ends meet,

and we know there are many, does anybody help them?

Yes, we do. We, the people.

We help each other. If a woman has no food,

I give her pasta and someone else buys her sauce.

The government doesn't give anyone anything.

Nobody.

When you ended up in jail the first time...

-did a social worker assist you? - Nobody did.

- How about when you got out? - Yeah, I looked for help.

Social services.

I asked: "So, is there work for me?" "No."

"Unfortunately not". So how will I survive?

The State offers us nothing.

It granted pardons, but not for me, I wasn't eligible,

but what options does the State give to people who leave jail?

None.

It's a farce, they do it to cover their backs.

That law is a farce.

You got a pardon and then what? You get nothing.

People went back to the way they were, or worse

because they had another stain: they were granted pardon.

If you have stains, you won't go far.

Ex-inmates and ex-junkies are disqualified,

but we should be the first in line.

I'm Giulio Riccio, I'm 37 years old.

A few months ago, Mayor Jervolino decided to appointed me

councillor for social and youth politics in Naples.

Truth is, southern Italy and Naples in particular,

suffer because the city no longer produces a thing.

The last company that was privatized, Telecom,

left 18,000 people unemployed in the Naples area

from March 2006 to March 2007.

The general impression, even for us local representatives

is that the central governments, which governed in these years,

probably not only never understood the south,

but mainly tended to sweep it under carpet,

like dust.

The plans proposed for development

offer no opportunities for today's 20, 30, 40-year-olds.

People who are in jail right now

will get out knowing that it'll be difficult to find a job.

They'll get out knowing that in this city, like other southern cities,

there are no companies that produce.

The plan for development offers them no opportunities.

This is the main theme.

Governments, even futures ones which will lead Italy,

must absolutely attempt to figure out

the future of production in these areas.

I'll work for you!

NEAPOLITAN AUTHORITIES, TELL US WHO TO SPEAK TO

WE'RE 150 EVICTED FAMILIES, HELP US

UNEMPLOYED MOVEMENT OF SCAMPIA

- Careful! - Move aside!

We're waiting for them to gather for this meeting they called

in order to salvage this unpleasant situation,

meaning the lack of funding

to start moving the Vele residents to new their new housing.

The Vele situation is horrible.

With time, as people leave, it's become a prison.

Mainly old people are left there, trying to survive,

some live on the top floors and haven't gone out in 10-15 years.

The local government did not do enough in these years.

The transfer of the Vele residents should've been completed ten years ago.

Sadly, we're still here waiting for this situation to end.

Many people died without being able to live in a decent home.

- I was born in the Vele. - How old are you?

22.

The meeting is with the budget councillor, Cardillo,

who must find the funds for this transfer.

The exaction was presented in these terms...

Why don't people rebel against this situation?

- Against unemployment, drugs? - They rebel, but what can they do?

What can they do?

Yesterday my son went...

He presented a pile of paperwork

to see if he can find a steady job.

He's 15 and fatherless.

I'm in jail and I'm staying put...

So if the State doesn't help us, then who will?

Sebastiano!

Bazooka time!

I'll shoot The Swiss in the chest!

- This place is cool! - Hey!

Guys...

what are you doing here?

- Came to get some fresh air? - Hey!

Where'd this guy come from?

- Evening, professor! - Good evening.

How are you? Good evening!

- What's up? - Getting some air.

Nice day, huh?

- Come have some drinks with me. - Really?

- Sebastiano, let's go drink. - Come have a glass of wine.

- Us too! - Yes!

- Is this your property? - It's my brother's.

Okay, let's go.

- You come too. - Come on, he's great!

Nice day, huh?

- Is it far, pal? - No.

- The grapes are good. - Wait till you taste the wine!

- It's even better? - Come along!

Your friends walk so slow, why is that?

Come on in!

- Hey! - Good evening!

- I brought along some friends. - Evening!

My pleasure!

Let's offer our friends some wine.

- Good evening. - This is Sebastiano.

Take a seat.

Sit, lad.

Can I have some wine?

Where'll I sit?

Sit over here, my lad.

Well?

I ran into the boys while they were taking a walk.

Friends of friends are always welcome.

Shall we make a toast?

Make a nice toast, Carminiello.

For all the blood that through my veins runs...

Sebastiano is my top gun!

All right, these lads are so cheerful!

Here's some bread.

This cheese is killer!

- Is this your land? - It's all mine, son.

But when I die, I can't take it with me.

Problem is,

we live in confusion, it's all crazy nowadays.

For example, when we all talk about evil,

we say it's something awful but in essence we love it, right?

We confuse pleasure with good,

but good is something else.

I may find something pleasing, but that doesn't make it good.

- I took an olive, ma'am. - All right.

All this confusion tangled our minds.

Good, pleasure, evil... We no longer know when we're happy.

Are we happy to do something evil?

Are we sad? It's all confused.

Humanity cannot break away from this confusion.

Come here!

They tied you up? Poor thing!

What?

Who?

You're nuts.

What the fuck are you saying?

You sicken me.

Carminiello...

You sicken me, Sebastiano!

You sicken me, hear me?

Tell me your name, your age, and why you're here.

I'm Sandra.

- I'm 27. - Where are you originally from?

Nigeria.

I have eight siblings.

I'm the oldest.

Eight including... no.

11, including my parents, my father and mother.

Nine kids and I'm the oldest. I used to study.

- What did you study in Nigeria? - Medicine.

I did what my father wanted me to.

But things weren't going well

and so, since I'm the oldest...

I decided

to give my younger siblings an opportunity

to be able to get ahead.

My parents weren't happy when I decided to leave the country,

they didn't want me to leave.

They wanted me to stay and finish studying.

My father tried to prevent me from leaving...

but I had already decided to leave.

So I came here

with some friends.

In Nigeria I never...

knew about drugs.

I never took any.

I learned about drugs here.

But I didn't sell it.

I had to repay the people who brought me here to Italy.

To repay them I had to walk the streets.

As an alternative to the streets,

the lady...

sent me...

to pick up drugs, so she'd recoup the money I owed her.

The first time it was heroin.

Then cocaine.

- How many years do you have to do? - Five years now.

I hope they reduce it a few years,

I still have to file for an appeal.

What do you think about the people you met in Italy?

How do you feel about Italy?

What can I say?

I don't know if I can say I like it or not...

Because...

Out of five years here in Italy, I spent four in prison.

Five years...

What can I say? Some people are nice, understanding.

They understand.

And then there are people...

who don't give a damn, that's what it is.

There are eight of us in a cell.

There's one coloured girl, Jennifer,

all the rest are Italian.

- Neapolitan? - Yes.

All Neapolitan.

Damn!

Done already? Give me some coins!

- Give me change. - I have none.

- Give me coins! - I'm cleaned out!

- Gimme five euro. - I'm broke!

Just gimme five euro!

- Gimme three euro! - I have nothing left!

Yes, you do!

My name is Giorgio Lanzillo.

I'm 79.

I work in system installations,

we're installers.

My father was a lawyer.

I began...

selling steam boilers already during college,

I was a steam boiler salesman.

And step by step, I set up my own company.

When we began,

when people of my generation began working,

everything was easier.

Moreover, we had grit,

we'd faced hunger and war...

We had substantial fighting spirit.

There's a high price to pay, working here is not easy.

I always say that with the effort we must employ

to carry out one job here,

with that same effort we'd carry out four jobs up north.

It's hard to work here,

it's hard to maintain principals and refuse to pay protection money.

You risk your life, your children's lives.

It's a difficult market.

There was a priest from For cell a

who said...

"Run away from here".

Running away is the easiest thing to do here.

I think we should stay here and fight.

Even the people in jail...

they shouldn't always be seen as outcasts.

Obviously, what's needed...

is help from social services,

a real effort to reintegrate these people.

But it can certainly be done,

giving up would be the end of things.

Good night.

My father was in jail for 20 years and my mum travelled the world.

Why was he in jail?

For many crimes, I don't know which because I was young.

I just recall going to Procida to visit him.

In Procida we could sit with him at a table.

My father brought food and we'd all eat together.

He'd say: "Sweetie, don't worry, daddy will be home soon."

- Did this make you happy? - Yes.

I went to catechism for four years in order to get my Communion.

I was waiting for him to get out.

When he died, I began to... How can I say it?

I totally changed, I started keeping bad company.

When he was alive, I had to be home by 7:30 PM.

He'd say: "Even if I'm on the streets, I want you to work".

But he wanted us to work after his death.

I did the opposite of what he wanted.

- He didn't want you to... - No.

But he died for us.

For us.

For a while, we had everything we needed.

Was your father involved with the underworld?

- Yes. - Was he a member?

Yes.

Where are you going?

Come here.

Like it?

What are you crying about?

Stop it!

Piece of shit!

It's done, it's done...

You wrote that you dream of running into your siblings' arms.

What do you expect when this happens, for your future?

A better life.

I even thought about leaving once I get out.

By now my brother's got a girlfriend and my sister is 18.

During the last visit, I found out she's got a boyfriend too.

So I'll have to start my own life.

A life I've always dreamt of,

a better life.

That's what I want.