Brutal takes on reality

On air finally in the U.S., Gomorrah (Italy, 2014 to present, Sky Atlantic) is an extraordinary TV series that peels off all the glamour of a gangster on a screen. This is a bleak yet compelling account of Camorra in action, with guns, drugs, political corruption, and impenetrable, linguistically very accurate dialect. Curated by Stefano Sollima, the series also hosts directors such as Claudio Cupellini, Francesca Comencini, and Claudio Giovannesi. In short: a brutal take of reality.

Reality (Italy, 2012, Oscilliscope) is a social experiment that has to do with all of us. Acclaimed director Matteo Garrone closely follows his extraordinary main character — a Neapolitan fishmonger who tries out for the Italian version of Big Brother — with a great number of close-up shots and details filming his decline, in a bitter and caustic way. Through a glimpse of one man, Garrone articulates a funny and terrible metaphor of our western society.

• Antonio Iannotta
• San Diego Italian Film Festival artistic director