The State-Mafia Pact

A theatrical representation of significant events concerning the pact between the Italian state and the mafia. Starting from the testimony of Gaspare Spatuzza about Cosa Nostra's links with Berlusconi, we take a trip back through history – via the murders of examining magistrates Falcone and Borsellino, among others – to finally arrive back in the Berlusconi era. Filmmaker Sabina Guzzanti's conclusion is that things haven't gotten much better over the years: "Although politicians often speak about the battle against the mafia, we don't need courts to establish that the mafia is a thousand times richer and stronger today." In the film, a group of Italian actors combine efforts to create a complete picture of the course of events over the years. They play the mafia bosses, the Caribinieri, the good guys and the traitors. The tone is one of satire – at times biting – and irony. Alliances, successions and settlements are sketched using graphics, interspersed with media footage and interviews. Fact and fiction combine to give an impression of a highly complex reality that is clearly close to the hearts of the makers. At the last moment, director Sabina Guzzanti deploys her imagination to make a statement.