Là-bas: A Criminal Education

Castel Volturno, about thirty kilometers from Naples. It is September 18, 2008. A group of Camorra members burst into a tailor's shop run by African immigrants. They fire a hundred bullets indiscriminately, killing six young black men and seriously wounding another. Yussouf, a young immigrant, decided that same evening to settle the score with his uncle Moses. The man who convinced him to come to Italy. He had promised him a future as an honest craftsman but instead turned him into the cynical manager of a million-dollar cocaine ring. Entangled in their story are another African boy, Germain, who happened to be at the scene of the massacre; his girlfriend Asetù, who sings a Miriam Makeba song in public that same evening; and Suad, a prostitute whom Yussouf dreams of rescuing from her pimps.

Directed by Guido Lombardi, Là-bas: A Criminal Education leans on a strong ensemble — Kader Alassane, Esther Elisha, Moussa Mone — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2011.