Sangue vivo

Edoardo Winspeare made a great impression in 1996 with his feature début Pizzicata, named after the pizzica, the local music and dance from the Southern Italian town of Salento. It is an age-old music form, yet still full of life: unlike most traditional music, pizzica concerts are also attended by young people and there are all kinds of varieties, even techno. Sangue vivo makes it clear that Winspeare, who is very Italian, despite his English-sounding name, is still fascinated by the pizzica. The hypnotic music forms the warm heart of his second film.The blood that flows through the veins of the characters in Sangue vivo occasionally boils over. In the hot heel of Italy, the differences between poor and rich are huge, the Mafia is everywhere and there is plenty of smuggling. The small-time greengrocer Pino does some moonlighting too. He does have to maintain his wife, his children, his mother and his younger brother Donato, after all. The relationship between the two brothers is overshadowed by an accident in which their father died. Donato is the best musician in Salento, but refuses to play, even when Pino eventually manages to get a recording contract for the group. Donato looks as if he is in free fall: problems with the Mafia, the wrong friends and drugs.The leading roles in the fiery and authentic Sangue vivo are played by Pino Zimba and Lamberto Probo, tambourine players with Zoè, one of the best-known pizzica bands.