Mondocane (Blu-ray)

In the not-too-distant future on Italy’s southern coast, the city of Taranto has become a toxic wasteland ruled by warring gangs and surrounded by barbed wire, where best friends Mondocane and Pisspants dream of escaping their hardscrabble existence for a better life. Opportunity knocks when Hothead, the charismatic and dangerous leader of the Ants gang, recruits the two boys and gives them everything they fantasized about. The friendship begins to splinter as Pisspants displays a surprising talent for mayhem and quickly rises through the ranks. With an obsessed cop hounding the gang, and Hothead becoming increasingly unhinged, the boys barrel toward a confrontation that will determine if their bond is strong enough to survive. Recalling everything from Mad Max to Lord of the Flies, director Alessandro Celli’s thrilling feature debut is a stylish post-apocalyptic vision.