Scena del crimine

'It is better to hear the sound of the gate than the tolling of the bells', a Neapolitan proverb says. Boys in a youth detention centre on Nisida island claim they rather go to jail than kick the bucket during a fight. So after their release they will again arm themselves before hitting the streets. This is a cause for great concern for the teacher who tries to brush up their knowledge a bit. This comment-less film in seven chapters about the invisible grip the mafia has on Neapolitans reveals that many young criminals have only limited education. One girl hardly knows how much three plus three is. A world of difference with the eloquent, ambitious youngsters at the military school, where the instructor interprets society on the basis of Plato. The mosaic film incorporates interviews, for instance with a forensic detective and a grandmother who failed to protect her descendants from the violence, shows bloody police photos and footage from surveillance cameras, and puts itself in the position of a scooter driver who careers through the narrow streets to escape the police.