There are three “Poison”. One is the podcast of Pablo Trincia, the other is the book published by Einaudi; the third is the docu-series produced by Fremantle and distributed by Amazon prime Video. The first two “Veleno” have in common their author, a compelling and convincing tone, and a detailed reconstruction of the history of the Devils of the Lower Modena area. It starts from afar in time, goes back and then reappears in the present. Each episode is a passionate tale written by Trincia and Alessia Rafanelli. “Poison”, the docu-series, is something else. Here are the pictures; the interviews have a different depth, full of silences and suspensions. And the work done by Trincia is only the starting point.
Ettore Paternò, creator and executive producer, and Hugo Berkeley, director, had a precise idea in mind: to put together the facts, the stories and the testimonies; do not exclude anyone, do not actively intervene on reality; but photograph, capture and immortalize. They worked for more than two and a half years on this docu-series. They have arrived where not even Trincia has managed to reach. And that is, on the other side, from the “Voci Vere” association, which gathers a part of the boys who, between 1997 and 1998, denounced.
The story of “Veleno”
In “Veleno” – podcast, book and also docu-series – the story of the Devils of the lower Modena area is told: a story that was born in the Italian suburbs, which quickly takes shape, and which is filled with dramatic testimonies of children. Parents and families are accused; there is talk of pedophilia, sexual violence, and, for a period, also of satanic sects. Parents are deprived of their children, and children find new homes. More than twenty years have passed since then. And things, around 2017, especially with the release of the podcast, have changed.
Other trials have been instructed, other boys have spoken. And the truth was almost divided into two: two faces, two perspectives and two voices. In the docu-series, there is an important reconstruction work. And Trincia is just one of the protagonists involved. «If you become part of the story – says the journalist – there is no problem. We have to be honest, this is the most important thing. Don’t become the news; you simply become an element of the story. When we wrote “Veleno”, we also talked about us, about what we felt. Many authors do. And everything, in its own way, can be told “.
The participation of Pablo Trincia
At the beginning, when Paternò contacted him to ask him to participate in the docu-series, Trincia replied no. “This story has become part of my life. I am in contact with these people every day. Dario, the first child involved, I hear him every week. I didn’t want to be there because I couldn’t take it anymore. Only later did I understand the point of view of this story ». The participation of the boys who came forward in ’97 and ’98 did not surprise him. “They wanted to be heard from the moment the podcast came out. I looked for them from the first moment, and as you can see in the documentary I was sent away. I tried talking to them, meeting them in person. I was wrong? Should I have moved differently? I am made like that ».
The objective of “Veleno”, underlines Trincia, “are the investigations, as they were conducted. What is the evidence? There are those who deny everything ». «This story – he continues – has amazed me several times. I never expected to be contacted by these guys, by those who have denied any fact. I know every aspect, every corner and every detail of this story. And often, behind some positions, there is a lot of ideology ». Somehow, the work done on the podcast opened a reflection on investigative journalism. «In Italy – says the author – we are used to moving little: we are talking about the present or the near past; when we think about the future, we think about the next day. It is difficult to go back that way, to start from scratch, to put together such a narrative. In Italy we are used to running. Colleagues sometimes chase the news. Perhaps the in-depth analysis is missing. And I tried to do just that: to deepen ».
But why has there been so little talk of this story, of the Devils of the Lower Modena area, of these parents who ask for justice and these children who continue to denounce their truth? “Because it happened in an unknown place, in the fog, away from the big cities and the spotlights. In those years there was very little talk of it. I took the time to deal with it carefully. Mine was a need ».
Another way
Trincia too, when he talks about the docu-series, separates it from his investigation. “They were very respectful. They had a more Anglo-Saxon approach. I have given an interpretation to the story. In this “Poison”, that part also speaks which, with me, did not want to speak. Every shot and every scene is a choice. A political choice, if you like. An ethical choice. There is a version here too, at the end ». You feel the absence of the prosecution: of the magistrates and policemen involved. “None of them wanted to talk. Let’s be clear: not speaking does not mean admitting one’s guilt. But it’s strange, very strange. The only one I was able to interview was the former prosecutor of Mantua, who has always closed the various proceedings ».
Let’s try to take a step back. Why did Ettore Paternò decide to work on a series like this one and to tell this story once again? «When I listened to“ Veleno ”at the end of 2018 – he admits – I was thunderstruck. At that time the docu-series were not yet so successful in Italy. For me “Veleno” was the perfect story to go beyond the various divisions present in the public and in the market. I contacted Pablo and started talking about it with him. At the time, I remember, his book had not yet been published. After a while we came to an agreement. And we are committed to expanding the narrative, adding new details and developments ».
An enterprise called docu-series
Paternò and the rest of the “Veleno” team organized their work and started doing research. Thanks to Trincia, they had an excellent starting point. But they always tried to go further. «We need to tell something new for the public – says the producer – and at the same time we need to try to provoke reflection». A pivotal moment in the construction of the docu-series was the choice of the director, Hugo Berkeley, from England, who gave a precise setting and tone.
«When I work on a documentary – he explains – I start from the same idea. I try to understand the progression of events and put them in order. Each answer has an effect on subsequent questions. With “Veleno”, we have put together everything and every element; we have created a container. We tried to give an internal logic to the narration, a linearity. We didn’t want to find the absolute truth ». This docu-series, in a certain sense, is kept aloof: it observes and points; does not suggest clearly, does not try to insinuate anything. Interviews with the protagonists – in the first three episodes to the suspects; in the last two to those who reported, to Trincia and to those who denied – they respect the chronology of the facts. At a certain point, there are small engravings of reconstructed scenes, useful for restoring the atmosphere and climate of those years.
«Each story – Paternò intervenes – has a specific way to be told. In this case, there were very few archival materials. We couldn’t document reality, because it’s a past story. And so we had to reconstruct some events. But the reconstructions decrease with the passing of the episodes, and in the last episodes they are completely absent. We went back a bit to American documentaries. “The Imposter” was an important reference. We looked for another perspective ».
“It’s a topic that is talked about a lot in the documentary community – adds Berkeley -. Where does reality begin, where does the reconstruction begin? Do you need fiction, and if so how much fiction do you need? With “Veleno”, we recreated the key moments: the arrival of the police, the first meetings of the children, the meetings in the cemeteries. Undocumented things, not captured by any archive. We wanted to involve the spectators and also show these particularly intense moments. And in my opinion we had a fairly intimate approach in shooting these sequences ».
An objective story
That of the docu-series, Paternò explains, is not an investigation. «The investigation was made by Pablo. We have limited ourselves to telling a story, we have focused our attention on being impartial. We wanted to give the public the tools to get their own idea ». But how is the relationship of trust built with the interviewees? “We spent six months trying to get to know the various protagonists of this story. It has been a long process of rapprochement. We have had many meetings, we have exchanged points of view; we reassured them. It’s not that straightforward. Making a phone call is not enough. We tried to understand everyone’s motivation. Sometimes, it is true, we have not succeeded. We tried to listen to all the parts ».
In Paternò’s vision, the interview in a documentary becomes a kind of stream of consciousness. “And the interviewer has no interest in embarrassing the interviewee. The interview must take place in an atmosphere of collaboration and serenity ». This type of product, he concludes, is written in three moments. «First of all when you discover the story and try to understand the key points, the protagonists and the most interesting things. Then, when you start shooting, you have to adapt and get back to the script. And in this sense we have given ourselves a rule: to hear only the people really involved. In the end there is the writing during the editing ».
What remains
To do a good job, you need to have time. “You can’t matter – says Berkeley – and you can’t expect. You have to plant some seeds. You have to wait. You need to show your interest and honesty. We haven’t always received positive feedback. After the first three months of lockdown, we stopped. And we started from the beginning. We contacted the people directly involved, we met them once again. And we got to know them. Paradoxically, the interruption due to the pandemic has helped us ».
This is a story that has transformed over time. And he did it also in the docu-series. «Initially it seemed like an extreme, almost horror story: full of contradictions, critical issues, absurdities. Instead it is a story that speaks of some families. And which, above all, tells their tragedy ». Experts, social workers, psychologists, journalists. Stock material, archives, images; exciting and sincere interviews, the Trincia podcast as a backbone and as a fil rouge. “Veleno” is a set of many elements and is an intelligent and curated re-presentation of an incredible news story that is still being talked about today. Try not to choose any version. But it sheds light on the past of an Italy that was and still is today: a silent and tormented Italy; an Italy where the truth is gray, where the trials often take place in the newspapers, and in the courtrooms one arrives already exhausted. An Italy that seems very distant to us, but instead is still here, in front of us: confused, fierce, broken.