Mondocane

Taranto, a southern Italian city ringed by barbed wire that even the police refuse to cross, forms the grim setting for Mondocane. The film follows two thirteen year old orphans who grow up like brothers in a world of scarcity and danger, where every day is a test of wit and nerve. As rival gangs muscle for control, the boys cling to a dangerous dream of joining one of them in hopes of safety, status, and a sense of belonging. Their choices are constrained by poverty, tightening surveillance, and the fragile loyalties that hold their neighborhood together. The pace is deliberate, with quiet interludes that heighten tension and force viewers to read the city in between scenes.

Directed by Alessandro Celli, Mondocane pairs his striking visuals with an original story by Antonio Leotti. Released in 2021, this Italian crime drama plunges into a city scarred by poverty and isolation, where two boys face a brutal social landscape that tests loyalty and resolve.

Box office data for Mondocane is not widely reported, reflecting its festival and art house run rather than a broad commercial release. The film found visibility through international festival screenings and select theater runs, earning critical praise rather than blockbuster returns.

The film's stark vision of Taranto and a city walled off by barbed wire has earned notice from critics for its social realism and its contribution to a growing strand of Italian crime cinema that centers youth and marginal communities. Its atmosphere and unflinching look linger after the credits.

Critics praise its unflinching look at poverty and survival, and the performances of Alessandro Borghi and Dennis Protopapa as the young leads. The film probes how environment, peers, and choices shape a life on the edge, offering a blunt meditation on belonging. It also raises questions about how communities drift toward violence.