
Eldest brother and goat farmer, Luciano, has turned his back on the family drug operation his 20-year-old son Leo finds so appealing. But a careless act by Leo, aspiring to his uncles' lifestyles, pulls the whole family into a simmering feud. Anywhere else, it would have been dismissed as nothing more than youthful foolishness. But not in Calabria, and especially not in Aspromonte. Instead, it is the spark that lights the fire.... (Full plot summary below)
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Eldest brother and goat farmer, Luciano, has turned his back on the family drug operation his 20-year-old son Leo finds so appealing. But a careless act by Leo, aspiring to his uncles' lifestyles, pulls the whole family into a simmering feud. Anywhere else, it would have been dismissed as nothing more than youthful foolishness. But not in Calabria, and especially not in Aspromonte. Instead, it is the spark that lights the fire.
Leave your thoughts about Black Souls.
| Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniA somber piece of film poetry about men so invested in a rigid notion of honor and revenge they become trapped in an endless loop of violence. |
| AV ClubAdam NaymanFor long stretches, it doesn’t appear to be a genre movie at all, which unfortunately means that certain tropes stick out more conspicuously when they do arrive — a minor flaw that only slightly detracts from the overall quality of the production. |
| New York Magazine/VultureBilge EbiriIt may not quite have the explosive charm of some of the classics, but Black Souls is an elegant, unsettling addition to the gangster-movie canon. Get on its unique wavelength, and you may find it transfixing. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanBlack Souls has a deep and startling soulfulness that, despite its shocking conclusion, is profoundly moving. |
| Empire MagazinePatrick PetersThe tone is pseudo-Sopranos at times, but the oppressive ambience is grippingly sustained. |
| The ListAllan HunterA measured, intelligent thriller that grows more gripping with each passing moment. |
| Time OutTom HuddlestonIt’s a dour, at times glacial film that perhaps takes itself just a little too seriously, but it’s also grimly convincing and, in a remarkable final scene, shockingly effective. |
| Times (UK)Kate MuirIn Black Souls the Italian mafia is leached of all glamour in a tale of three Calabrian brothers that grows stranger and more compelling by the minute. |
| Radio TimesEmma SimmondsThe focus moves fluidly around the key players, enriching the story, while the action is unflashy but precision-staged. |
| Boston GlobePeter KeoughRelated with stolid majesty, with long shots of brooding landscapes and close-ups of opaque faces, the film provides poor preparation for the subversion of genre conventions to follow. |