A black-and-white debut usually falls into one of two categories: the “I’m broke, and you can tell” kind, and the “I’m going for artsy, and I nail it” kind. Edgardo Pistone’s first film falls by far in the second category. Being a triumph of stylish photography and camera work, it is a pleasure to watch. But this is more than just a pretty film. It’s a tale of passions and unsolvable conflicts that haunt Attilio, a young man from a working-class neighbourhood in Naples, tasked with protecting a beautiful prostitute.

In their world, this is a recipe for forbidden, devastating love – the only kind possible in a criminal underworld where even father-son relationships are subverted, and a 19-year-old boy carries the impossible burden of growing up.

Malaika Bova