Dinner and a movie
February 26, 2009
Gomorra: Five people, one smoking gun
By Robert Frankel
2.5/5.0
Based on the book by Roberto Saviano, Gomorra has been given well-deserved praise for its realism; the film, an exposé on the Camorra — a sprawling crime network controlling a huge portion of Naples — is a completely unromantic depiction of organized crime.
There are five central stories at play in the film: A young man shadows shady businessman Franco (Toni Servillo) as he closes a number of suspicious deals with various parties in Italy.
Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato) moves through the slums, paying the families of imprisoned Camorra members. Pasquale (Salvatore Cantalupo), a tailor, begins making dangerous connections with his Chinese competition. A young boy, Totò (Salvatore Abruzzese), runs errands for his drug-peddling neighbors.
Additionally, there are two young men who harbor grand illusions of taking over the job of their local mob boss. The pair idolizes gangsters from American culture, with one telling the other in a certain scene, “You really looked like Scarface.”
Unlike most American films of this style, Gomorra’s disparate storylines do not intersect throughout the course of the film. They are presented almost as loosely related vignettes, each one serving to present a different side of the Camorra in Naples.
Instead of exploring a singular story, the filmmakers decided to demonstrate the bleak and troubling aspects of the Camorra’s power and allure. After all, in real life, not all stories cross paths.
The film is certainly realistic. Not a stone is left unturned as the camera meanders from scene to scene, depicting even the most mundane of the Camorra’s work.
Realism, however, comes at a price. While Gomorra is an excellent example of true-to-life storytelling and is truly eye-opening and revealing, it is also at times painfully boring and runs a little too long. The attention to detail becomes wearing, and the focus on such wide-ranging facets of the Camorra are sometimes disorienting.
Director Matteo Garrone, probably in an effort to translate as much as possible from Saviano’s book, has so much to say and so much to show that the film becomes somewhat opaque.
Some will argue that this cinéma vérité style of filmmaking is a technique used to emphasize the brutality of the incredible power held by the Camorra, or that the film is less interested in creating a filmic drama and more concerned with presenting a vivid and unflinching portrait of crime life.
This is all well and good, but the film fails to present the audience with a relatable drama.
The density and realism of Gomorra ultimately make it feel inaccessible and difficult to comprehend. However, for those with a little patience and enough interest in international crime, there is plenty to gain from the film.
Reach reporter Robert Frankel at arts@dailyuw.com.
Lounjin Café: Sake, coffee and ramen
By Matthew Jackson
Photo by Aiden Duffy.
Jin An, one of the owners of Lounjin, pours sake behind the café's counter. Lounjin serves coffee and ramen as well to attract a variety of customers.
4.0/5.0
One thing Seattle will never lack is creative cafés. With choices ranging from coffee and tea to pastries and vegetarian cuisine, Lounjin, located next door to Pagliacci Pizza on Northeast 45th Street and the Ave, features a Japanese-inspired combination of sake, ramen, tea and coffee.
With a modern chic interior, Lounjin is one of the most relaxing cafés in the U-District. Complete with free wireless Internet, a large plasma TV and hip playlists, the atmosphere sets Lounjin apart.
Lounjin does, however, have the classic indie coffee shop selection of artwork for sale, and the employees certainly know how to brew a cup of coffee — the owner gets his coffee beans from Zoka Coffee Roasters. The menu of coffee beverages is comparable to any other coffee establishment; count on lattes as good as any other you’ll find at neighboring shops.
For tea-drinkers, Lounjin takes pride in its high-quality selection of loose-leaf teas from Blue Willow and Republic of Tea. Seattle coffee-house connoisseurs won’t be disappointed by Lounjin’s espresso or tea.
What makes this café truly attractive, though, is its ramen. Featuring a modest menu of four soups, the basic ramen is comprised of noodles and broth topped with scallions. The other soups include combinations of bok choy, fishcakes, shiitake mushrooms, barbecue pork, chicken and tofu, served in one of two base broths — a savory traditional broth as well as a heartier curry broth.
Lounjin’s appetizer menu is similarly light; it includes the delectable edamame and gyoza dumplings, an Asian adaptation of nachos made of wonton chips, Asian-seasoned ground beef and cheese, and poke (a Hawaiian dish of marinated raw ahi tuna).
Nicely paired with their appetizers, Lounjin also offers sake and Japanese beer. With an extensive selection of sakes featuring a variety of fruit and herbal flavors, this is the premier sake bar in the U-District. If for no other reason, visit Lounjin to sample the amazing sake choices warm or chilled, by the glass or the bottle. A sake tasting is certainly a fun and original outing for friends.
While Lounjin doesn’t offer a full menu every day, or even for all hours of operation, it has excellent options available whenever you might stop in. For the best availability of choices, try a Wednesday or Friday night, when the full appetizer menu is open, and the ramen is served early. Otherwise, enjoy the coffee, tea and sake — reason enough to visit Lounjin.
With excellent service and low prices, Lounjin is perhaps the most interesting and relaxing take on soup, coffee and liquor found on the Ave.
Reach reporter Matt Jackson at arts@dailyuw.com.
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