Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
What are we talking about when we talk about negotiations? About the state's concessions to the Mafia in exchange for ending the massacres? About who assassinated Falcone and Borsellino? Of the eternal coexistence between the Mafia and politics? Between the mafia and the church? Between the Mafia and law enforcement? Or is there more? A group of actors enacts the most relevant episodes of the affair known as the Mafia-state negotiation, impersonating mobsters, secret service agents, high officials, magistrates, victims and murderers, Freemasons, honest and courageous people, and courageous people up to a point. Thus one of the most intricate events in our history becomes an exciting tale.
La trattativa is a bold hybrid documentary from Sabina Guzzanti that dramatizes the murky Mafia-state negotiations through theatrical reenactments, blending political satire with documentary rigor in a genuinely singular way. The plot — covering the assassinations of Falcone and Borsellino and the covert dealings between the Italian state and Cosa Nostra — is densely constructed and compelling, earning a high mark for its ambition and coherence despite the complexity of the material. Novelty is strong: the film's form (actors playing real figures within a documentary frame, with direct satirical commentary) is distinctive and unmistakably authored. Acting is serviceable and at times sharp but varies across the ensemble. Cinematography is functional and purposeful without being visually remarkable. The ending, while emotionally resonant given the subject matter, doesn't fully resolve the labyrinthine narrative threads it raises, leaving a slightly unsatisfying sense of incompleteness.