First Look Review The City of the Living
In the annals of Italian true crime, some stories are defined by their brutality, while others are defined by the profound, aching questions they raise about the human condition. One such narrative, which delivered a gut punch to Rome in 2016, is the murder of Luca Varani. Yet, the true depth of this tragedy lies not merely in the horrific act itself, but in the societal shadows it cast, and the desperate search for meaning that precedes the darkness.
The investigation into Varani’s death, committed by two young men who barely knew him, quickly ignited a wider national conversation about the attitudes of society, particularly concerning the mental and emotional landscapes of young men. The perpetrators’ claim that they acted simply to experience the feeling of killing speaks to a disturbing level of senselessness that forces us to confront the absence of motive in the face of extreme violence.
Seeking to honor this memory and probe the circumstances surrounding the event, Nicola Lagioia published the insightful book The City of the Living”>The City of the Living in 2020. This work lays the groundwork for the sensitive and haunting cinematic exploration by director Edoardo Gabbriellini, a drama that focuses on the final year of Luca’s life, examining the void that preceded his tragic end.
Gabbriellini’s film delves into the existential adrift of Luca, a twenty-three-year-old navigating a modern world that seems to offer limitless possibility yet denies him a stable sense of self. His life circles around his girlfriend Marta and the struggle to define his identity. After leaving school and facing a lack of direction, Luca attempts to find footing, yet gets pulled into the complex and often seedy world of sex work, an exploration that, tragically, becomes the backdrop for his fate.
Rather than sensationalizing the sordid details, the film employs a deeply sensitive lens, focusing instead on the raw sensation of a young man lost amid possibility, brutally denied. The narrative paints Rome in a melancholic light, capturing the mood of a place that seems impenetrable to a working-class boy searching for his place. Luca’s journey reflects a beautiful but fragile internal world, often conveyed through soft glances and longing looks, highlighting the internal struggle beneath the surface.
The true power of the story emerges in the aftermath. As the film progresses, the focus subtly shifts from the sordid circumstances to the profound impact of the loss. The narrative explores how this senseless ending fractured the lives of Luca’s family, forcing them to grapple with the immense weight of grief and struggle to find footing in the wake of such an unanticipated catastrophe.
Ultimately, The City of the Living”>The City of the Living reframes the true crime genre. It moves beyond the obsession with grisly details and perpetrator psychology to focus squarely on the tragedy of a life cut short, emphasizing the immense emotional burden carried by those left behind. It is a poignant meditation on identity, loss, and the painful reality of living in a world that fails to see us.
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