Fifth about The Seventh

The Traitor (Il Traditore)

The Traitor: Marco Bellocchio’s look at the war within the Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and concomitantly against the law is an intriguing procedural, even if a bit overlong. Focused around one crucial character, as the title implies one mafioso who decides to break the Omertà, the story delves mildly into the impact on him and his family. Pierfrancesco Favino plays the protagonist well enough, but the character is not very well-developed and explored by the screenplay. Maria Fernanda Cândido does what she can with a character that is, essentially, just there. Aging make-up is sub-par, which doesn’t help with recognizing the passage of time. Other than that, however, the film is well-done; both the production design and the costume design are detailed and convincing; cinematographer Vladan Radovic conjures a lot of moody images. The use of music leans towards the operatic, but it is pretty effective. Even if the film drags a bit by the end, editor Francesca Calvelli’s work, moment to moment, is pretty smart.

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