In This World Can’t Tear Me Down, Zero’s friend, Cesare, returns to the neighborhood, and Zero tries to help him make the right choices, but it is not easy when their lives and experiences have been so different. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
The arrival of 35 migrants from Libya result in a riot in a neighborhood called Dicksville. These migrants are then moved to a shelter in Zero’s neighborhood, but their presence is not welcomed by everyone there either.
The Nazis, a term used to refer to fascists in the show, want to send the migrants away and get the shelter closed, but there are also people like Zero who oppose the Nazis.
At the same time, Zero’s old friend, Cesare, returns to the neighborhood after 20 years. Cesare was away for so long because he was in rehab for abusing drugs. Zero soon realizes that Cesare is one of the Nazis and does not want the migrants here.
Zero tries to make his friend see the error of his ways, but Cesare refuses to listen to someone who does not know anything about his life.
Zero thinks about their past and everything that made Cesare the kind of person he is today, which makes him realize the difficulty of helping someone find their place in the world when the world they once knew does not exist anymore.
Positives
Watching this show will make the audience feel like they are looking at the world from Zerocalcare’s perspective. It’s almost like they are inside Zerocalcare’s mind and witnessing his reflections on human nature and society, which are very peculiar to him.
The show depicts how a broken society creates broken and lonely people, who then thread upon the disadvantaged just to be seen and heard. It is social commentary, but since these are Zerocalcare’s thoughts, they seem very personal.
The world in the show and the issues discussed are very relevant to the current times. The audience will be able to relate to the things being said and done in the show, and that is what makes every episode of the show interesting.
There is this understanding in the show that the modern world is full of gray areas and people who cannot be put into boxes. The audience will not be able to dislike characters like Sarah for the choices that they make when they understand their dilemma.
Additionally, while the show takes a sympathetic view of Cesare’s life to make the audience understand what made him the way he is, it does not excuse his actions. It not only criticizes his choices through Secco but also by denying him a happy ending.
The animation gives the impression that the audience is watching a worn-out world. It is not a beautiful world but a world that is as rotten as the human condition in it.
Negatives
Zerocalcare’s speech is certainly a problem; it makes it hard to keep up with the show, especially for those who do not speak Italian and are dependent on subtitles to understand the plot. Zerocalcare is aware of the problem, yet it persists.
The dialogue delivery also breaks the flow of the narrative. The show will get the audience interested in an idea, but the speed at which it is discussed will make them either pause the show or rewind it.
There is an abundance of references in the show that are used to make the audience understand and relate to the points made. Not everyone will get each reference, and so there will be times when these references will instead make it hard to grasp the point.
Verdict
This World Can’t Tear Me Down is a short and insightful show that is very relevant to our times. It will allow the audience to look at the world and reflect on it from Zerocalcare’s perspective, which is quite interesting and sympathetic.
This World Can’t Tear Me Down
Director: Zerocalcare
Date Created: 2023-06-09 22:27
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Also Read: This World Can’t Tear Me Down summary and ending explained