Piranhas – La paranza dei bambini (2019)

Directed by: Claudio Giovannesi | 110 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Francesco Di Napoli, Viviana Aprea, Mattia Piano Del Balzo, Ciro Vecchione, Ciro Pellechia, Ar Tem, Alfredo Turitto, Pasquale Marotta, Luca Nacarlo, Carmine Pizzo, Valentina Vannino, Aniello Arena, Roberto Carrano, Adam Jendoubi, Renato Carpentieri

‘Piranhas’ by director Claudio Giovannesi is based on the book ‘La paranza dei bambini’ (‘The children in the dragnets’) by the Neapolitan best-selling author Roberto Saviano (known for the film ‘Gomorrah’). It is about children who are used by the mafia because of their alleged innocence. So is the main character Nicola (played by – how appropriate – Francesco di Napoli) and his team of five friends who ride scooters through the narrow streets of Naples. They do ‘shopping’ for the old bosses of the Camorra who are in charge in the various districts.

But Nicola wants more. Together with his neighbor Cristian Striano, nephew of a once infamous mafia boss, he wants to climb up and trip the established order. He ‘borrows’ weapons from another mafia kingpin, Don Vittorio, who is living under forced house arrest. Eight men strong, they set out to claim power in their own Sanità district. After business is done, Nicola wants to do things differently.

But power corrupts and overwhelms. Give youngsters a lot of money and power and they will think they are invincible. Add to that the fascination for weapons and it can hardly end in error.

Nicola is actually in between two fires. His girlfriend, Letizia, is from another neighborhood and her father – a hard-working restaurant owner – doesn’t really want her to hang out with him. Nicola asks her to come and live in his neighbourhood, but according to her that is out of the question: “Do you know what you are asking of me?” He wants to flee with her and leave for a sunnier place, but a fatal ‘chain of events’ throws a spanner in the works…

Yes, and as a mother – who is well aware of what Nicola is up to – aren’t you trying to stop your son? Sometimes the shoe pinches in ‘Piranhas’ scenario technically. Nicola becomes all too easily the new ‘boss’ of the district. His girlfriend should also know better and choose eggs for her money. After two attacks, Nicola is the ‘king of the neighborhood’. That looks a bit too simplistic. Of course, the kids also want to take advantage of the quick money they see being earned around them, but in some scenes the reality seems far away. In a sigh and a fart, Nicola is the man. That seems too short sighted in this world of evil evildoers. Silvio’s (The Sopranos) quote, borrowed from the Godfather: ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in’ applies to ‘Piranhas’. Once joined, it is difficult to wrestle from the environment.

‘Piranhas’ won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay in 2019. Too much honor. These kinds of films are plentiful, with the only difference that we now see the so-called ‘invisible’ children at work as adults. That would have been more believable with a mature script. Giovannesi and Saviano rush to the finish line too quickly and leave many (side) issues underexposed. A little more flesh on the bones of the scenario would have been nice…