Brutti, sporchi e cattivi

Italian director Ettore Scola's 1976 dark comedy film, Brutti, sporchi e cattivi (Ugly, Dirty, and Bad) presents a stark, unflattering, and yet often humorous look at life in the poverty-stricken outskirts of Rome. The cast is an ensemble, including leading Italian actor Nino Manfredi, Francesco Anniballi, and Maria Bosco.

The film's plot revolves around a unique family dynamic headed by the wily and grizzled patriarch, Giacinto Mazzatella (Nino Manfredi), whose character is a squalid anti-hero. Manfredi’s delivery is sincere and engaging. He effectively plays the amoral central character with a comically cruel edge, ensuring Giacinto is never completely unlikeable despite his actions.

Giacinto lives in a dilapidated shack along with his wife, ten children, and various other relatives. This combined family creates a scene of utter chaos, and complete disregard for conventional morality, where thefts, squabbles, and promiscuity are everyday norms. The cast embodies their roles with a naturalism that transforms the film’s squalid setting into an authentic world. They each play their part with unabashed candidness, providing a warts-and-all depiction of individuals trying to scrape by with their flawed survival instincts.

Adding further intrigue to the plot is a hefty payout that Giacinto receives following an accidental injury. With a large sum of money suddenly at his disposal, the family dynamic inevitably shifts as plans and schemes to gain a piece of the newfound wealth become a focal point of everyone's intentions.

Scola's direction throughout the film is brilliant - words such as 'raw', 'gritty', and 'realistic' barely suffice in describing his unique storytelling manner. He maintains a fine balancing act of blending the gritty reality with comic absurdity, often challenging the viewer's perception of poverty and morality. Scola’s unique narrative technique never allows the film to fall into the pit of poverty pornography, instead emphasizing the dog-eat-dog reality of a dysfunctional family living on the fringes of society.

Francesco Anniballi, Maria Bosco, and the rest of the cast impeccably support Manfredi. There is sincerity and audacity in their performances, creating characters that are as repugnant as they are arresting, characters whose pettiness and callousness are laid bare, yet whose desperation and strivings lend them an unlikely air of sympathy.

Brutti, sporchi e cattivi's cinematography further underlines the gritty theme of the story. Featuring a variety of wide and often cramped shots amidst the squalid reality of the Mazzatellas’ home, each scene has a starkly realistic appeal. This brutally genuine ambience perfectly maps onto the film’s narrative immersing viewers into the world inhabited by its characters.

The movie is firmly situated within the genre of 'Commedia all'italiana', a strand of Italian cinema known for tackling serious social issues in a humorous and often satirical manner. Within this mould, Brutti, sporchi e cattivi does a fantastic job. It is at once a satire of and commentary on the grotesqueness of poverty, societal marginalization, and how it shapes individuals' behaviours and values in their struggle for survival.

The film, thus, asks us to challenge our perspective about poverty and its consequences. Rightly so, it earned Scola the Best Director award at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and cemented its place as a significant entry in the cannon of Italian cinema.

Overall, Brutti, sporchi e cattivi offers a relentlessly brutal and authentic portrayal of life in the margins of society, punctuated with elements of dark humour and raw picturization. For those interested in exploring the daring boundary-pushing world of Italian cinema, this film is a must-watch. Despite the harsh reality it portrays, its unique narrative charm and engaging plot ensure a captivating viewing experience.