CAESAR MUST DIE (CESARE DEVE MORIRE) World Cinema

Deep within the walls of the Roman prison Rebibbia, inmates whisper and conspire, giving new life to the timeless words of William Shakespeare as they rehearse a production of “Julius Caesar.”  Utilizing the device of an unfinished theater, the players – a cast comprised entirely of real-life inmates – take the story to their cells, seamlessly moving in and out of the text as they wrestle with notions of necessary crimes and the boundaries of order. By finding the drama within the process rather than the performance, the effect is nothing short of haunting.  In CAESAR MUST DIE, the written word takes on an overlay of modern violence and lingering guilt – while stripping these men to their very cores.  This latest masterpiece from Italy’s famed Taviani brothers not only serves as a deeply human document, but a caustic portrait of our own imprisoned societies, reminding us that a life without art truly is a prison.