Nie bądź złym

When the borders opened here in the 1990s, creative freedom and everything it entails kicked off. People felt that they could do anything they wanted, the band Orlík sang about whatever they wanted and until now, everybody thinks of those times with fondness. Well, and it was very similar in the suburbs of Rome named Ostia. People were finally having fun, they did whatever they wanted, and felt as if the world belonged to them. But it wasn’t entirely true and the director Claudio Caligari, before dying, decided to make a confession about this era, and he did it very well, because he showed a world that is not a dreamed up one. Quite the opposite. He showed the harsh, cruel, loud, and chatty Italy with everything included. (15.06.2016)

The first half of the film, filled with hallucinations and fueled by amphetamines and black humor that seems to have come out of the chronicles of British lout Irvin Welsh, is noticeably better than the second half, which becomes somewhat more serious, plays on emotions, and moralizes. On the other hand, it is also an impressive example of the social problems of the Italian south. The central duo is excellently chosen and the chemistry between the characters is top-notch. However, there are no false notes in either the comedic or the more serious aspects. I give it four stars with a clear conscience. I often feel that things are overrated, but in the case of this title, I have the opposite feeling that it deserves a better rating. Overall impression: 80%. (24.10.2018)