Like Sheep Among Wolves

Here's a taut Roman police thriller from director, Lyda Patitucci, her feature debut. Isabella Ragonese stars as Vera, a damaged undercover cop embedded within a Serbian gang. We're introduced to her as she drives her 'colleagues' to a meeting where a nasty piece of business occurs, followed later that night by a confrontation with an ex-lover and a drunken tryst with a barman. Frantic, destructive events like these seem to be about par for Vera.

Her stint with the gang comes under threat when a couple of extra bodies join for an armoured car job and one of them turns out to be her younger brother, Bruno (Andrea Arcangeli). Cue a confrontation at their objectionable father's place and a plan of sorts is arranged to keep them both safe. Unfortunately, Bruno has struggles of his own in that his angelic young daughter, Marta (Carolina Michelangeli) needs extracting from her dangerously alcoholic mother, so cash is required to ferry her away. 

This is quite a brutal film, epitomised by a shocking scene around halfway in. It's packed with horrible dudes that have clearly affected the lives of the women and girls around them. The Serb gangsters, Bruno and his mate, the father, even the male police officer, are all maladjusted, the former crew to the point of psychopathy. These toxic personalities go a long way to explaining the plight of the women in the film - not just Vera, but her brother's ex-partner and Marta as well. As one female officer says to Vera, "He's worried about you but he's a man, so he can't express himself." Simple backhander for the point.

Ragonese, channelling Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is really convincing - her scarred, pierced face says more than the dialogue needs to give us. The juggling act of her double life is laid out in the narrowing of her eyes and her weary intakes of breath. It's a very physical performance and it improves the somewhat rudimentary story going on around her.

Simple the plot may be but there's very little wastage - even the section with the dog pays off. Vera is surrounded by people that can't or won't look after themselves or others in their care (Marta in particular, but the neighbour's dog falls under this umbrella too - they're the nominal sheep of the title).

The bleakness of proceedings appears to lighten a bit towards the end and there's a touching moment where Marta gives Vera a friendly nudge on her arm, causing Vera to stop the car and chase away a panic attack. In one earlier scene with Bruno she says, "I'm only happy when I'm working." As Marta reaches for Vera's hand, we see that maybe this innocent act of affection has caused a reassessment of that dictum. 

Like Sheep Among Wolves is screening as part of the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival around Australia from September 19 - October 25.

See also:

These films showing at the festival look promising:

• Caravaggio's Shadow (2022)
• The Last Night of Amore (2023)
• The Circle (2022)
• La Chimera (2023)
• Kidnapped (2023)