Bangarang

Surprisingly, even in Taranto, beset by the worst public health and environmental hazards to be found in Italy and Europe, the local children play, misbehave, wander about just like children do elsewhere. The director films them undisturbed, observing their pranks and listening to their cries, gently inviting us to discover their habits, friendships, troubles, moods and desires, and ties to their hometown. On entering their children’s world we note the stark contrast between a joyful playground and the ominous steel mill nearby, like the sea and the sky, a fixture in the urban landscape. Bangarang is a word of Jamaican origin, meaning tumult, disorder, chaos, and a word of encouragement to the children to stay noisy and steadfast in facing life’s difficulties.