There is no doubt that Alessandro Borghi is one of the most talented Italian actors. I discovered him in Suburra. I loved his acting there. Here in Sulla mia Pelle he plays Stephano Cucchi young man accused of narcotics possession in 2009. Based on real events, the movie is hard to watch but a must. A solid 8/10.

You know how they say that jail can conform people? How they say that it might do some people good? Hopefully you are also aware that it does more people harm than it does good. And there are humans who are just not cut out for that. Now you may ask, why do they do something criminal in the first place? We are all not perfect and there is also a different bar when it comes to crimes, those who commit them and who gets prison time for them - like different punishments - look no further than the US jail system (many documentaries on that subject to find and watch).

Having said all that, this is not just hypothetical, this is something that really happenend with an individual - something that will leave you at the edge of your seat. And no it is not a documentary, but more or less an accurate reenactment of what happened. Not all questions will be answered (with some comparisons and "news" to what happened in the real world after the movie ended) - but that's how life is. While frustrating, hopefully you don't see it as flaw of the movie

I do not have a Netflix account (yet),so I rarely see films protected by the ecosystem of this kind of broadcast. Luckily, a few movies like 'Roma', which was also presented in Cannes and now this 'Sulla mia pelle' (the English title is 'On My Skin: The Last Seven Days of Stefano Cucchi'),which was presented at the Venice Festival last year, enjoyed a limited broadcast on the screens of cinema theaters. The fragmentation of cinematic distribution creates 'islands' and makes comparisons difficult, but this is a long and complicated discussion. What I can say is that the film directed by Alessio Cremonini approaches in an original way the genre of docu-drama, bringing to the viewers a committed view and a firm opinion about a case that is still under way in the Italian actuality.

Nearly ten years ago, in October 2009, a 31-year-old Italian, named Stefano Cucchi, was arrested by the Italian carabinieri, being suspected of drugs possession and trafficking. Despite coming from a 'normative' family, he had a criminal record, and had been hospitalized for rehabilitation of drug addiction. The judge decided that he should be detained until the investigation was completed. For a whole week his family was unable to get in touch with him or get news about his condition, he did not meet with a lawyer, and after seven days the family was informed that the young man had died. The autopsy showed the cause of death as a combination of blows received at the beginning of detention and disastrous medical treatment in the penitentiary system hospitals. Years later, some of the doctors involved were sentenced to small suspended sentences, but the police officers who were involved in the arrest and are suspected of having beaten and having caused the injuries that ultimately led to the death of the young man, were inducted only during the last year. The trial is still under way.

These are the facts as known from the news. The film presents for the most part the events of the last week of Stefano Cucchi's life from his perspective, with some interludes in which we are witnessing the family's efforts to find out what is his situation and to help him. This is actually a reconstitution. We understand that the young man was not a saint, in fact he was guilty of what the police suspected about him, and he was trying to hide details that could have indicted him. We can speculate whether drug trafficking is a minor or major crime, but of course the young man did not deserve to die in detention, not to be beaten, he had to be provided medical care and allowed contact with his lawyer. The causes of his death seem to be a combination of systemic problems in the Italian justice and penitentiary systems, combined with the indifference and personal negligence of many involved. Such a thing should not happen in a modern justice system in a European democratic country. Director Alessio Cremonini, along with lead actor Alessandro Borghi and the rest of the actor's team, describe in a very credible and dramatic manner the descending spiral towards the inferno of a young man who obviously made mistakes but did not deserve death. The cool rendering of the police station and prison hospitals is frightening. Great cinema job. There is however a question to be asked. I have no reason to challenge the depth and seriousness of the documentation. However, does not the firm approach taken by this well made docu-drama risk to pronounce an early judgment in a case still under way?