Because the premiere of ‘The Catholic School’ was so scandalous

A few days ago a film that aroused controversy among the public entered the Netflix catalog, which we are talking about “The Catholic School”, directed by Stefano Mordini. And it is this, unsurprisingly, since it portrays one of the most cruel and heartbreaking events of the last decades of Italian history, the Circeo Massacre.

‘The Catholic School’ is taken from the book of the same name by the writer Edoardo Albinati, written in 2016, which in the same way scandalized to Italian society, bringing to the fore the heartbreaking story behind the Circeo massacre, where three students from a well-known institute tortured and raped two girls who lived in a popular neighborhood in Rome, causing the death of one of them.

The case told in the film and in the book had resonance throughout Italy, as it revealed the state of society, since the culprits were minors from wealthy families, also linked to fascist and far-right groups. Added to this were the years of social and political turmoil that the country experienced at that time, both on the left and on the right, known as the Years of Lead.

What are the facts behind ‘The Catholic School’?

In 1975 Gianni Guido, Angelo Izzo and Andrea Ghira were three Twenty-year-olds from wealthy families from Rome, the third, even, the son of a well-known businessman. Of the three, Guido was the only one without a criminal record, Angelo was the most violent, with a conviction for rape behind him. Andrea, on the other hand, had already been reported for having threatened someone with a weapon, causing serious injuries.

In September of the same year Guido and Izzo meet Donatella Colasanti and Rosaria López, two 18-year-olds from a popular neighborhood. The four began to see each other often, meeting from time to time at the Mushroom of Eur. Their intimacy was so great that, a few days later, they were invited to spend the afternoon in a seaside villa in Anzio. Such a proposal was nothing more than a deception, the girls were taken to San Feliceo Circeo and there tortured and subjected to all kinds of violence.

It happened on September 28 and for the following three days, on the Lazio coast, just over 100 kilometers from Rome, the girls were beaten and raped for 30 hours straight. One of them dies the other is saved by pretending to be deadfound alive shortly after in the trunk of the car of the culprits.

As for the book and the film of the same name ‘The Catholic School’, it must be said that Edoardo Albinati’s book is narrated in the first person, since he was the companion of some of the killers. As for Stefano Mordini’s treatment, it is necessary to highlight his commitment to a realistic narration, trying to faithfully portray the so-called Circeo Massacre, added to its classic narrative linearity.