A Gravame : The Burden (A Gravame – Maria e le Madri di Tamburi)

There are many forgotten stories. This is one of them. This story is connected to our poverty and our wealth. To the rise and fall of capitalism. To the benefits of industrialization and the price we all have to pay. And there are forgotten people. Many of them, people like us, have been betrayed and deceived. ‘A Gravame’/’The Burden’ is the title of the funeral march which opens the famous Good Friday Procession in the southern Italian town of Taranto. Taranto was once an important Mediterranean city whose huge mussel cultivation dates back to ancient times. The Greeks, the Romans, the Spanish settled here because of the beautiful natural harbour. Today, the inhabitants of Taranto breathe 2.7 tonnes of carbon monoxide and 57, 7 tons of carbon dioxide every year. The dioxin in the air is supposed to be responsible for the high incidence of leukaemia and lymphoma. For the sake of profit, environmental legislation has been ignored for more than 20 years. The company, the city, politicians, the government – they’re all partners in crime. The film blends personal stories with observations from the city in the pre-Easter time. We take part in the orchestra rehearsals and follow the Good Friday procession. Over the course of 12 hours the procession brings together workers, fishermen, families, widows, lay brothers and musicians to accompany the Mother of God, Our Lady of Sorrows through the night of Taranto. There are political problems we prefer to look away. But we will not come off. There is no way to cheat death.