The text discusses the challenges presented to viewers in the film "Gomorrah". It analyzes a scene where the character Toto executes Maria, with his guilty facial expression shown in mid-shot focus, while Maria is out of focus behind him, showing how he is trying to distance himself from the situation. This presents the challenge of living in a difficult urban environment, as Toto has no choice but to conform to a life of crime in order to remain safe, as shown through the film's dialogue.

1. What challenges does this text present to the viewer?
Throughout ‘Gomorrah’ (Dir. Matteo Garrone - 2008) the spectators
are presented with numerous challenges, primarily connoting the
difficulty when living in an urban environment. This is extremely
evident in the execution scene of Maria through the character Toto,
as he walks away the technical code of the mid shot highlights his
guilty, remorseful facial expression as he is in focus. The shallow
focus used on Maria behind Toto connotes how he is trying to
remove himself from the situation and ignore the consequences of
his actions. This presents the challenge of living in a difficult urban
environment because Toto is trapped, and has no choice but to
conform to the norm of crime in Scampia. This is exemplified through
the diegetic dialogue “If you’re against us you can’t leave, we can’t
trust you” as it signifies (De Saussure) how Toto has no choice but to
work with the gang and participate in crime in order to remain safe.
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