The movie overall had some compelling messages about the Mafia and its influence. I thought it was interesting to see the perspective of a son who grows up in this family and feels the need to rebel. Normally, the males in the family grow up to appreciate and understand the way of the Mafia so that by the time they can understand certain things they can support it but also stay obedient to the family organization. I believe that if it was not for Peppino's uncle being killed he would have grown up accepting his fate within the Mafia and not rebelling. That was a turning point for him and once he began to understand the Mafia's influence and how it conducts its business he turned away from what he thought was something good. That is why I was ultimately compelled by Peppino's relationship with his father. They had an unconditional love for one another but the thing that was driving them apart was their values and connection to this Mafia family. This life is all his father ever knew and was the reason why his father was able to be successful and attempt to give a different kind of life to his family that he never grew up having. That's why his father always knew what was going to happen but his father embodied the value of family despite having his difficulties with his wife and children. The Mafia knew this and that's why they knew they needed to kill him first. He was never going to be on board with what the Mafia had planned despite his feeling betrayed by his rebel son. I thought this aspect was very powerful and unfortunate for his father and the rest of the family.
That said, the idea of family and what it means to the Mafia really showed up in the gripping ending. At the funeral, the only people who stayed were the father's cousins who lived in the United States. The room was not as filled as it was when his father or uncle died. His cousins used that imagery to try and show his mother that family is what counts and that his "comrades" were never actually there for him as they said they were. However, the minute the camera turned toward the rally of people the cousins vanished because they knew what it would mean for them if they stayed. It's very ironic that despite preaching about family the minute someone within the family goes against the Mafia's best interest it's every man for themselves.
Aaron Trinidad
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