L'Immoralita is a film that is difficult to pigeon hole into one 'type' of film, but suffice to say it's an entertaining and well worked thriller with enough substance to satisfy most viewers, providing they can stomach the sometimes uncomfortable tone of the movie. Almost everything about the film really is rather detestable and as such the characters are hard to care for; making watching the film akin to watching a car crash at times. The film begins with a scene that sees a man carrying the body of a dead girl before burying her, and then being pursued by a bunch of people with guns. This man turns out to be Federico; a murderer and paedophile, wanted for killing children. Wounded, he bumps into a young girl who he befriends after she offers him shelter. The girl lives with her parents; the mother, lauded as the town slut, and her dilapidated father who is rotting away in a wheelchair. The murderer and the child grow closer together despite the law being after him and the pair develops a friendship that is shattered when the mother discovers the sheltered criminal.
This film is not easy viewing and features certain things that go over and above what I'd call 'bad taste' - a sex scene between a man and an eleven year old girl stands out in particular. There's not a real point to the film as such and it's more of a character study with the character's decisions providing the main points of interest. The two adults of the central cast have very distinct elements about their personality that are very easy to dislike, while even the young girl is the not the sweetness and innocence that you would expect. The way the plot moves is not completely typical and the film does veer off down paths you would not necessarily expect, and that does ensure the film remains interesting throughout. Credit has to go to director Massimo Pirri for keeping the film firmly in 'high class' territory - with a plot like this, it would have been easy for him to have ended up making a trash film. It all boils down to a typically shocking conclusion and while this film definitely won't float everybody's boat, it is a very interesting thriller one that is definitely worth seeing.
