Venice Film Festival 2025, Review tv series Portobello

Having 18 million viewers on a television show, then sharing a cell with five inmates. This is the parable of Enzo Tortora (Fabrizio Gifuni) who, in the TV series Portobello – directed by Marco Bellocchio – shows his steadfastness when faced with accusations he cannot comprehend. 

In 1982, during the very broadcast that consecrated Enzo Tortora to success, inmate Giovanni Pandico (Lino Musella), affiliated with Raffaele Cutolo's (Gianfranco Gallo) clan, confesses that the presenter is affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate, allegedly receiving monthly drug shipments to distribute among showbiz figures. In reality, Pandico is furious with Tortora for not responding to his letters sent from prison: he wanted his cell-embroidered "doilies" to be sold during the show, and after Tortora's lack of response, he decides to seek revenge.

 The series – of which two episodes have been screened – often veers toward mafia stereotypes, perhaps because, being an international co-production, it needs to align with the portrayal of Italy's mafia underworld that appeals to foreign audiences. Many sequences from the six episodes take place in prison, with moments of discussion between Cutolo and Pandico, giving the impression that one is watching a crime drama. However, in the second episode, the focus on Tortora's ordeal returns in detail, portraying a man who cannot comprehend what is happening. And Bellocchio manages to electrify with iconic scenes, such as two officers entering the cell and banging cups against the bars, and the dream of a judge dressed as Pulcinella dancing outside the cell. 

Tortora emerges as a scapegoat, perhaps guilty of the media clamor surrounding his show, which – like any success – is not immune to sacrificial envy.