Like Sheep Among Wolves at St Ali Italian Film Festival 2023 - Review

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Tue 19 Sep 2023 - Wed 25 Oct 2023

A hundred minutes long and from Italy, Like Sheep Among Wolves is screening at the Italian Film Festival which runs from 19 Sep to 25 Oct in various states. See here for the Festival Program . A feature debut by Director Lyda Patitucci, the film stars Isabella Ragonese, Andrea Arcangeli, Carolina Michelangeli, and Gennaro Di Colandrea.

A film that combines family drama with a serious crime thriller, gutsy undercover police agent Vera (Isabella Ragonese) has infiltrated a dangerous Serbian crime syndicate in Rome's criminal world. She's the fixer who can get them anything they need, especially weapons. It's an unforgiving territory, and to survive she has to behave tough and insensitive in the face of violence. All seems to be going as planned until family involvement complicates things. Her estranged younger brother Bruno (Andrea Arcangeli) is also mixed up with the syndicate. On opposite sides of the barricade, choices have to be made if they are to survive and reach their individual goals.


The film is character-driven and successfully rides the line between being a crime thriller and a family drama. There's tension all round in both sectors which Patitucci (Director) navigates with ease, each one heavy with emotions. The film doesn't exactly make it clear as to what the issues are that has Vera estranged from her father and brother, and perhaps it's lost in translation, however it detracts from none of the atmosphere that is maintained throughout the film. A criminal though he is, Bruno is trying to turn his life around and get it together for his daughter. But crime is the only way he knows how to fast-track his goals. Vera is undercover but without a lot of support from the force.

Though Isabella Ragonese's character Vera is gritty and resourceful, she plays a dour role throughout the film. Andrea Arcangeli as Bruno on the other hand manages to display emotions more easily - the bad boy, yet emotionally soft when it comes to family. Successfully proving his prowess when he manages to show his love for his sister in a matter-of-fact subtle way in one of the scenes. An engaging film, the story centres around a female character placed in what we're used to identifying as a man's world. Dour though she may be, Ragonese goes head to head with the men, and at no time does she portray herself as the weaker sex. Though crime-driven, the film is equally driven dramatically, having you invested in both worlds - making this a successful debut feature film for Patitucci.



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