Tainted Souls (2017)

In a gritty corner of Rome's suburbs, within the weathered walls of a third-floor council block, a diverse tapestry of characters exists, each with a story as complex as the city itself. This urban mosaic includes Chiara and her husband Marcello, a former cocaine-addicted bodybuilder grappling with his sexuality. Marcello is entangled in a clandestine relationship with Walter, a writer who finds solace in the fringes of society. Their lives intersect with Flaminia, a disabled leftist activist who has married Bruno, a Roma hooligan, rejecting her traditional family to embrace a life less ordinary. We also meet Mauro, a drug dealer yearning to escape his dangerous vocation, as his relationship with his wife Simona deteriorates. Amid this urban jungle, we find Eugenio, known as the "spinning top". He spends his days working in a garage, and his nights wrapped in a passionate affair with a prostitute. Gianfranco, another drug peddler, weaves his way through these intertwining tales, daring to challenge the big players of the underworld. The characters exist on the outskirts, their lives steeped in rebellion, curiosity, and a boundless need to survive. The narrative unfolds in the raw dialect of the streets, in a whirlwind of violent, grotesque, yet strangely captivating stories. These stories are like threads, frayed and distinct, yet woven together to form the fabric of this part of Rome - a place where the periphery and the center are one, and where the contagion of human experience spreads with relentless force. "Tainted Souls" is a vivid exploration of the human condition, where each character's journey blurs into a collective experience, creating a narrative that is as vibrant and chaotic as the city itself. The sum of their stories, in the end, may be zero, but their tales echo in the narrow alleyways, reverberating with the pulse of life. "Tainted Souls" is a stark reminder of the unyielding power of humanity in even the most challenging circumstances, a testament to the resilience of the spirit and the contagion of hope.

Tainted Souls is a drama movie featuring Vincenzo Salemme and directed by Matteo Botrugno.

Tainted Souls is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Kanopy, The Roku Channel, Tubi TV and VUDU Free and it's also available on Dekkoo.

It is also possible to buy Tainted Souls on Amazon Video and Vudu.