Mit der Faust in der Tasche (1965)

Mit der Faust in der Tasche: Directed by Marco Bellocchio. With Lou Castel, Paola Pitagora, Marino Masé, Liliana Gerace. A young man takes drastic measures to rid his dysfunctional family of its various afflictions.

“The Sixties was a time of breaking rules and exploring social themes and political ideas that werenu0026#39;t allowed to be expressed in the repressive Fifties. It was a Golden Era of Italian cinema, producing Antonioniu0026#39;s, Viscontiu0026#39;s and Felliniu0026#39;s best films, along with so many gems like Olmiu0026#39;s u0026quot;Il Postou0026quot;, Germiu0026#39;s u0026quot;Divorce: Italian Styleu0026quot; and Monicelliu0026#39;s u0026quot;The Organiser.u0026quot; u0026quot;Fists in the Pocketu0026quot; stands out for its dark subject matter, which examines the mind of a sociopath.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile this was not new ground—Clouzotu0026#39;s u0026quot;Diaboliqueu0026quot;, Clementu0026#39;s u0026quot;Purple Noonu0026quot;, Powellu0026#39;s u0026quot;Peeping Tomu0026quot; and Hitchcocku0026#39;s more lurid u0026quot;Psychou0026quot; allowed us into the head of a killer—u0026quot;Fists in the Pocketu0026quot; portrays a much more nuanced character. What those films donu0026#39;t spend a lot of time on is the motivation behind their charactersu0026#39; actions, outside of their own amoral nature or perhaps some hinted trauma. In this film, while we certainly donu0026#39;t sympathise with the charactersu0026#39; actions, we clearly understand their motivations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe protagonist of the film is Sandro, but Iu0026#39;d argue that the main character is the family, since itu0026#39;s the family dynamic that drives all action in the film. Sandro and two of his three siblings have varying degrees of epilepsy, and all three grown children live with and care for their blind mother. Thereu0026#39;s a definite sense of claustrophobia and dread in this family, who all seem trapped by their own love for each other. Their desire to break free of their motheru0026#39;s control and the burden of caring for each other leads to plans being hatched and tragic consequences.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s quite an oddball story, almost Lynchian, but what makes the characters so utterly believable is the unpredictability of their behaviour, along with some excellent acting, particularly by Lou Castel, who allows us to see into his mind without saying a word. Add to that a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone and absolutely sublime photography—itu0026#39;s one of those rare films where you can frame almost every shot—and youu0026#39;ve got one of the standout films from a standout period of filmmaking.”