Raffaele Barbato

September 1943. After Italy surrenders to the Allies, most people in Naples believe the war is finally over, but soon realize Germans are still in control—and as ruthless as ever. Armed with makeshift weapons, the Neapolitan civilians spontaneously rise up en masse against their occupants—and overwhelming odds, driving them from the city after four days of fighting.

Weaving together fact and fiction, this docudrama performs a portrait of the often seamy underside of the city of Naples.Ferrara traveled to Italy to interview the inmates at the Naples Pozzuoli State Prison, a high security lockup for women, and with the help of a translator he allows a number of women doing time to talk about their lives before and after they were convicted. Ferrara chose to expand the short profile of the prisoners into a feature by offering a look at life in the slums of Naples and the actions of a number of law enforcement officers and social workers struggling to improve conditions for the poor, as well as adding three short fictional segments shot of digital video gear.