Much as Nuovo Cinema Paradiso was about hope, in an environment that Tornatore knows very well (Sicily), this movie is about bitterness and the absolute lack of hope. <br /><br />Tornatore shows his deep contempt for the ultra-Catholic, yet totally inhuman, NE of Italy. Whether this contributes to make this movie a masterpiece is rather questionable, however. <br /><br />Characters are paper-thin, lots of unnecessary brutality is displayed, to cater to some type of thrill-thirsty audience, I presume, as it would otherwise be entirely unnecessary,<br /><br />Nuovo Cinema Paradiso was a brilliant masterpiece. This one ain't.