The Mafia Only Kills in Summer

Directed by and starring satirical newscaster Pierfrancesco Diliberto (aka “Pif”—an Italian Jon Stewart, if you will), The Mafia Only Kills in Summer is a dark comedy about a boy in Palermo whose unhealthy romanticization of the Mafia prevents him from recognizing its corruptive hold on everyday Sicilian life. Styled as a fictional biography and largely told in flashback, the film follows the boy as he crosses paths with some of Italy’s most important real-life anti-Mafia figures—all of whom are eventually murdered—and finally comes to grips with his misplaced obsession. (90 mins., DCP)