This is a dynastic tale that gets more claustrophobic as it develops, as its web of vendetta-style recriminations closes in on the Carbone clan, goat farmers who have diversified into riskier and more profitable businesses.

The plot may seem familiar from dozens of other Mafia movies but what is original here is the film's mournful tone and its absolute refusal to glamorize violence in any way.

In Black Souls the Italian mafia is leached of all glamour in a tale of three Calabrian brothers that grows stranger and more compelling by the minute.

Its somber style captures the landscape of the Calabrian mafia, often with a certain realism and restrained acting, but unfortunately its narrative stumbles on a few predictable scenes. [Full review in Spanish]