Propulsive, ambitious and more than a little addictive, ZeroZeroZero uses the framework of a global drug deal gone wrong to explore the motivations and betrayals of those who grease the wheels of this sprawling black market machine.
Adapted from the nonfiction book by the Italian investigative journalist and author Roberto Saviano, this eight-episode series – which was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and is now streaming on Sky Atlantic in the UK, Amazon in the US and a wealth of platforms across multiple countries – is a show that demands its viewers pay attention as it hops around in both geography (dialogue is in six languages, with subtitles moving as quickly as the action) and chronology. But those who invest will be rewarded with intelligent, compelling drama of the highest calibre.
Set in the world of drug trafficking,
Zero establishes its intimate style and vast scope in the absorbing opening episode. We travel to New Orleans, Mexico’s Monterrey and a small village in the Italian region of Calabria, as we meet the buyers, the sellers and the brokers of a large cocaine deal (as well as the authorities who surveil them). To Don Damiano Minu La Piana (Adriano Chiaramida), the 5000 kilos he’s ordered represent a second chance, a way to set things back in motion. Reduced to hiding out in a bunker in the middle of nowhere, he’s keen for redemption in the eyes of local families. “Disappointment has no place for mercy,” he laments, as he details his investment – and comeback.
Episodes viewed: 3 of 8
If you’ve ever fancied changing careers to become the leader of a drug empire (long lunches, travel ops but no life insurance or holiday pay),
ZeroZeroZero provides a good handbook. Adapted from the novel by
Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano by Stefano Sollima, Leonardo Fasoli and Mauricio Katz, the Sky/Studio Canal co-production provides a helicopter view of the cocaine business from multiple perspectives, tracking numerous characters speaking in different languages across many continents. If it sounds glamorous, it isn’t.
ZeroZeroZero offers a serious, borderline nihilistic take on an overcrowded genre, finding its own space by minting its broad perspective with colourful but controlled filmmaking.