Sacred Silence (1996)

You won't be disappointed!

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Fresh and Exciting

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

For Gods sake, The priest is not a child molester! Why does everyone keep saying that? When two people have consensual sex, morality does not come into it. I don't get this whole new hatred and paranoia if two inter-generational lover decide to express their desires sexually? All love is the same, emotional blackmail, games and little tiffs are always involved, whether one partner is 13 or 33, does not in the end matter so much. Upon seeing this film I felt that the priest had some admirable traits and was basically a good Samaritan caught up in a web of politics and mafia. When his enemies chance upon his sexual preference (and the fact that he as a catholic priest had sex)they use it as a tool to sideline and destroy his reputation. I felt that the film, far from being some moral conundrum is actually a good attempt at showing the hypocrisy of the times we live in. One thing though, the acting (having been done by obvious non-pros) is about average.

Others have the spoilers already, so I'll try to make this a different thing: Nunzio is almost fourteen and really handsome. He sings for TV and a record company. He plays the organ at the local parish. He's the current lover of Father Lorenzo.Lorenzo is a priest that fights the Camorra. He opens the doors of his church for the ones who need it.The Sanità neighbourhood is as violent as it comes.Naples is under siege by the same kind of violence the Camorra has always been praised for... the southern version of the Mafia.Capuano, who wrote and directed this and his previous film, does an amazing job. Each character has the depth needed to understand the surroundings and the sad situation of a troubled neighbourhood in one of the world's most controversial cities.He shows the power of many things that are not a standard for us, and maybe because of that, we don't understand. Examples of his Latin creativity and point of view, are the silent scenes that were shot hand-held where most of the murders are shown. The delicate way of portraying a difficult subject. The utter precision and realism of Catholic rituals with his own amendments.The underlying truth of life in Naples through brief but poignant phrases. The political situation that still runs in Naepolitan life. The words used in the songs Nunzio sings. The terribly painful reality of lives that struggle with everyday life where the "bosses" roam seldom leaving society unscathed.The really peaceful moments you can rob Naples just walking a few blocks away from downtown knowing that the sea is for you.The switching from dialect to language on the fly when you have both parties at the same table. The small talk on coffee as is in real life, everyday in Naples... and the bursting city that is always on the brink of something, under the clouds of mighty Vesubius.A film which stares inside the people who know the main character. All in all, a very Italian film with a lot to learn from. Don't miss the rest of Capuano's films!

While most of the above comments pretty much describe the film, I saw one thing though, that I don't agree with. I didn't see the priest as molesting the very handsome Nunzio. They seemed to have a mutually consensual relationship. The boy went to the priests room, and is seen "flirting" with the priest at dinner. While Nunzio had a young girl friend, and spoke with friends about girls, he also seemed to care for the priest, and never tried to turn down the advances. The fact that he was not ready to cooperate with the investigation on the priest also shows me his concern for their relationship. The city street scenes and music I thought all lent to the validity of the time and place in the film. Even if the subject matter is not to ones liking, it is still an interesting film for the scenes, music, and other personalities in the film.

In Naples a priest begins a campaign against the Camorra. He's particularly vulnerable in that he has a "relationship" with 13-year-old Nunzio an alter boy, semi orphan and talented singer. The priest in this film is both a hero in his fight against the Camorro and a villain in his abuse or molestation of Nunzio. Lest the priest be too sympathetic a character there is Gigi an older boy who apparently was the priest's last protégé who appears at the beginning of the film and complains that the priest doesn't seem to have time for him anymore. `Things change' he's told. The audience is left to judge for themselves as the priest seems to harbor no guilt about his actions and the boy says that he enjoyed the affection. This is another of those films that deal with morality at the uncomfortable border between what is rightfully the business of a society and what is better left as a private matter between consenting partners.