sorely lacking the energy that made "Mediterranea" such a vital shot in the arm, "A Ciambra" is a half-step backward for Carpignano, whose clear sense of place is too often hampered by shapeless plot
a coming-of-age drama with a stealthy emotional charge that further enhances the writer-director's reputation as a gifted practitioner of Italian neo-neorealism
"A Ciambra" is something of a step sideways for the Italian-American filmmaker, consolidating his considerable formal and observational gifts while fumbling a bit as storytelling