A Ciambra

This engrossing story of a young man caught between cultures embeds a fictional narrative in the actual world.

In A Ciambra, a small Romani community in Calabria, near Gioia Tauro, Pio Amato is desperate to grow up fast. At 14, he drinks, smokes, and is one of the few to easily slide between the regions’ factions—the local Italians, the African immigrants, and his fellow Romani. Pio follows his older brother Cosimo everywhere, learning the necessary skills for life on the streets of their hometown. When Cosimo disappears and things start to go wrong, Pio sets out to prove he’s ready to step into his big brother’s shoes, and in the process must decide if he is truly ready to become a man.