Souls of Naples

A portrait of Naples and its inhabitants in the words of the Neapolitans themselves Two women gossip about a woman who committed suicide a man sells tickets for a local tombola a woman concerns herself about her elderly neighbour By moving from person to person the documentary gradually portrays this enigmatic city at the foot of the Vesuvius James Baldwin once returned a writing assignment about Naples because he utterly failed to grasp the city A Neapolitan says Naples is a kaleidoscope of thousands of different souls Their total defines the Soul of Naples The leitmotif is Caravaggios painting Seven Works of Mercy 1607 made for an aristocratic charity that still exists The documentary mirrors Caravaggios clairobscure in its patterns of poverty and wealth Ageold alleys with subdued light contrast with the glittering chic of a genteel club Slow aerial shots and poetic texts in voiceover interweave the separate stories