An ambitious but ultimately inconsequential Italian film, Tainted Souls is an overlong ensemble piece interweaving the lives of characters in an old apartment complex outside of Rome. Marcello (Vinicio Marchioni) is a do-nothing bodybuilder who relies on his wife, Chiara (Anna Foglietta), to support the two of them. He’s having an affair with downstairs neighbor Walter (Vincenzo Salemme), an author who helps Marcello now and then with debts, including money owed to local cocaine kingpin Carmine (Nuccio Siano). Another neighbor, Mauro (Marizio Tesei), tries to make ends meet by working for Carmine, but intervenes when the latter’s crew gives Marcello a beating for not paying his coke bill, after which Mauro and Marcello become unlikely friends. A number of minor characters appear throughout and a time jump of three years forward halfway through the film eliminates some characters and adds others (it’s hard to keep track of everybody). The story’s anchors, Mauro and Marcello, have undergone changes of fortune, but also magnified their self-destructiveness along the way. The directing team of Matteo Botrugno and Daniele Coluccini bring a strong visual sensibility to the narrative, including a long, uncut shot of Mauro moving around a club. But while one can admire the complicated logistics of this scene, it would have been nice if that extended moment mattered somehow. Optional. (T. Keogh)
Tainted Souls
Breaking Glass, 111 min., in Italian w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99 Volume 33, Issue 6
Tainted Souls
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