Don't Be Bad
dir. Claudio Caligari · 2015
The pursuit of a meaningful life often leads to difficult choices that can either uplift or destroy relationships.
Feature
Moral Ambiguity
Mood
Dark
Look
stark, raw cinematography reflecting urban decay and vibrant nightlife
Structure
character-focused, episodic with intertwining story arcs
Plot
A story set in the 90s and in the outskirts of Rome to Ostia. A world where money, luxury cars, night clubs, cocaine and synthetic drugs are easy to run. A world in which Vittorio and Cesare, in their early twenties, act in search of their success.
Why watch
"Don't Be Bad" immerses viewers in the seductive yet perilous underbelly of 90s Italy, where ambition and friendship collide in a world of organized crime. With its raw emotional depth and stark visual aesthetic, this film explores the dark allure of hedonism and the moral ambiguity that accompanies the pursuit of success.
Cultural context
1990s Italian youth cultureeconomic disparity in post-Cold War Europethe rise of drug culturesocietal disillusionment