Masculinity in the film "Gomorrah"

The Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of judgment and punishment for the sinful ways of the city's population. One of the gravest sins, according to most interpretations, is one of homosexuality. It's no surprise, then, that the film of the same name, "Gamorrah," by Italian Director, Matteo Garrone, about the Camorra mob family and the corruption present at every level of the city of Naples, takes up the role of masculinity as one of its major themes. 

While one could argue that many of the challenges on masculinity presented in the film are dated or irrelevant in our more permissive, contemporary culture, I believe that in some environments, such as sports, corporations, and gang structures like the Camorra, the critical nature of one's perceived masculinity is still as primitive and relevant as ever.

Here are a few of the more interesting moments: 

The Salon

The film opens, not in a grungy back room or in the streets, but in a salon where the men are parading around getting manicures and tanning. Male Italian culture is always somewhat unsettling to Americans in this way. But the violence soon enters, violating the obscenity of this sanctuary and immediately reminding us of the men's capacity for aggression. 

The Tailor

Salvatore, arguably the most likable and fatherly figure in the film, is a couture tailor that takes a side deal to teach a Chinese factory of mostly women how to sew. The value of his work underwhelmingly peaks when he sees Scarlett Johansson on TV wearing one of his dresses on the red carpet for a Hollywood premier. It's visible in his face that this moment both rewards and emasculates him as nothing more than a tailor to famous American women. 

The Test

Young boys, some seemingly no older than seven or eight, are called into a dark cave for a test of their bravery. Like African rites of passage, they go in, one at a time, and put on a kevlar vest. A gun is pointed at them, and the Camorra captain asks "are you afraid?" Whether they deny or admit their fear, they are shot from close range. Most boys are visibly shaken by the experience, and carry their fear with them, perhaps for the rest of their lives. One boy, pictured here, seems more curious than anything else. And his lack of fear defines him in his group.  

Finding the Guns

Later, the men that steal the guns wade into the water in their underwear, colored and fit in a way that makes these violent men appear as angry boys. Their lean, boyish bodies are filled with an ecstasy and rage as they fire into the horizon, and blow up a moored boat on the opposite shore. Their own power surprises and delights them. 

The Strip Club

Once empowered by their newfound arsenal, the boys venture out for a night on the town. They enter a strip club and immediately misbehave. They attempt to hire girls for sex, which is a clear violation of the rules. The women suddenly want nothing to do with them, rejecting and scolding them like mothers. They are roused and thrown out of the club by the other men. The rest of their free time is spent at arcades and riding double on scooters around town.

The film deals with a variety of issues that, like the traditional model of masculinity, seem to naturally deteriorate, or at least complicate, over time. The men in charge refuse to relinquish any power, making themselves targets of the young men they fail to kill off themselves. The one hope of the film seems to focus on the inevitable demise of the structure itself as a result of the limited propagation of the gangster species. 

• 22 March 2009
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