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Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be

Name: Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be
Director: Franco Maresco
Released: 2019
Duration: 111 min

Representation Score

3.3/10

Limited

2019

Director

Franco Maresco

Runtime

111 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film operates as a sociopolitical critique rather than a study in demographic variety. Its primary impact comes from centering a female intellectual to dismantle romanticized Sicilian histories. While the documentary lacks explicit markers for LGBTQ+ or disability representation, it challenges established power structures by focusing on the systemic corruption found in the commodification of tragedy. Ultimately, the work succeeds in its skepticism of civic morality, forcing viewers to look past commemorative veneers to see underlying social dysfunction.

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Category Breakdown

Does Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The documentary focuses on political corruption and organized crime. There are no visible LGBTQ+ character arcs or narratives within this historical context.

How does Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be portray gender?

Fair

Letizia Battaglia serves as a central figure who play a significant role in driving the story, disrupting traditional gender hierarchies within a male-dominated landscape.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be?

Fair

The film centers on a specific Mediterranean regional identity in Palermo. It engages deeply with local social structures rather than presenting a multi-ethnic cast.

How does Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative critiques the opportunism of characters who exploit national tragedies. It offers a nuanced view of social institutions and the corruption of public memory.

Does Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence regarding the depiction of physical or neurodivergent identities in this work.

Present on Screen

Centers a female intellectual, Letizia Battaglia, as a primary agent of historical chronicling.
Provides a nuanced critique of how social institutions and public memories are exploited.
Challenges traditional patriarchal hierarchies through its narrative focus.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or character arcs.
Provides no visible depiction of physical or neurodivergent identities.
Focuses on a specific regional identity without multi-ethnic breadth.

Official Synopsis

Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 2017. Twenty-five years after the murders of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone, on May 23, 1992, and Paolo Borsellino, on July 19, 1992; and on the occasion of the tributes held in memory of both heroes, skeptical photographer Letizia Battaglia, chronicler of their titanic combat, criticizes the opportunism of shady characters who, like businessman Ciccio Mira, profit from the commemoration of both tragedies.

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