In a remote village near Naples, war wages between farmers and the Camorra, a crime syndicate that polluted the farmland. The death of farmer Cosimo casts a dark shadow not only on his family, but on the future of this village neglected by the government. Veleno is a timely film targeting one of Italy’s largest crime syndicates, the Camorra, and its purchasing and releasing of toxic waste. This has been a serious problem making headlines in Italy for a while now, but has not made much news in Korea except through the film Gomorrah in 2008. Even after the Camorra destroys their stable, two lovebirds with a baby on the way continue their struggles to save their farmland slowly being poisoned by toxic waste. The plot revolves around their resistance and the Camorra trying to buy their land for more waste disposal. As if such dark despair can only be resolved through divine grace, Olivares uses surrealism to provide a ray of hope. This controversial film depicting the Camorra’s tyranny was the closing film at Critics Week at the Venice International Film Festival. (RHEE Souewon)