This is the true story of three women who are born into the 'Ndrangheta, a Calabrian criminal organisation . They live within the confines of these groups, brutalised by its code which limits women to a life of total subjugation. Denise is 18. Her mother Lea has testified against her husband in order to give her daughter a chance at life. She is killed by Denise's father. Denise must decide whether to testify against her father. Giesy has known nothing more than a life within her criminal family. Like most women in her community, she was married off at 16, her husband has left her with three children when he is imprisoned. Now 30, she is an active participant in crime, collecting the dues for the family and organising its operations. But she is bound into its system which are oppressive. She has an elicit affair despite knowing that the consequences of this risk her life. She too must decide whether to testify against her family. And then there is Maria. Maria like Giesy was married very young. Her husband is also in prison. Still a young woman, Maria lives with her parents and three children a prisoner in her home. Any whiff of freedom is quenched by her family. She is beaten for the slightest hint of rebellion. She too must decide whether to remain in this abusive set up.
Essentially this story does not dwell particularly on the 'Ndrangheta's crimes, nor their reach. It focuses upon the real struggle these women face as they turn their back on their families and all that they know to reach out for some glimpse of freedom. It's an astonishing watch as you feel their dilemmas. They will lose everything that they know, their families, their homes their livelihoods. They will be hunted and live in fear of their lives, watching at every turn for what they feel is inevitable the avenging bullet. Their love for their children is both an impulse to break free, in order to give them a better life, but also an anchor to keep them from breaking free, as their children desperately crave to return to their normality. The series is an astonishing achievement as it reveals quite how these remarkable women did indeed challenge their system and face the consequences of doing so.
I do hope everyone watches this, because it certainly brought home to me quite how difficult living within this community would be.
Essentially this story does not dwell particularly on the 'Ndrangheta's crimes, nor their reach. It focuses upon the real struggle these women face as they turn their back on their families and all that they know to reach out for some glimpse of freedom. It's an astonishing watch as you feel their dilemmas. They will lose everything that they know, their families, their homes their livelihoods. They will be hunted and live in fear of their lives, watching at every turn for what they feel is inevitable the avenging bullet. Their love for their children is both an impulse to break free, in order to give them a better life, but also an anchor to keep them from breaking free, as their children desperately crave to return to their normality. The series is an astonishing achievement as it reveals quite how these remarkable women did indeed challenge their system and face the consequences of doing so.
I do hope everyone watches this, because it certainly brought home to me quite how difficult living within this community would be.