Fists in the Pocket

A happy surprise. I'd never heard about this film before, but my expectations were relatively low as I'm not a big fan of the Italian classics. I figured this was going to be another neo-realist drama, instead, the film reminded me more of the Nouvelle Vague, only with a clear Italian touch to it.

Augusto's family are all epileptics, Augusto is the only healthy one of the bunch. He is dating Giulia and wants to marry her, but he doesn't want to put the burden of his family upon her. Augusto's brother Alessandro understands the problem and decides to help his brother out by killing the other family members.

The camera work is pretty dynamic and the performances felt way more realistic than the film's age would suggest. The premise is also pretty interesting, but Fists in the Pocket is a tad too long and the film does have some pacing issues. Still, it's a memorable one, and a lot better than many of its contemporaries.