Don't Be Bad

Don't Be Bad (Non essere cattivo, 2015) is an Italian crime drama from Claudio Caligari, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Set in the gritty Roman seaside suburb of Ostia in the mid-1990s, it follows two childhood friends scraping by on drugs, scams and borrowed time.

Cesare and Vittorio grew up on the same streets and chase the same dream of getting out. The difference is what getting out means. Vittorio tries to go straight, taking a construction job and reaching for an ordinary life with a family. Cesare keeps dragging him back toward the clubs, the cocaine and the quick cash, and walking away from that bond proves harder than kicking any habit. Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi lead the cast, and critics later called their pairing one of the great Italian screen duos of the decade.

This was Caligari's final film. He died shortly after the shoot, and Italy submitted the picture as its Oscar entry. Raw and unsentimental about life at the bottom, it's a strong watch for anyone who rates Gomorrah and unvarnished realism. Stream Don't Be Bad (2015) online on iFILM.