The ‘Ndrangheta, the largest and most feared of the Italian mafias, is notorious for its code of silence, where disobedience means death. But the documentary film, ‘Women of the ‘Ndrangheta,’ tells a different story. The film revolves around three brave women who dared to rebel against their mob husbands and family members, thus shattering the mafia’s omertà culture and dealing a severe blow to organized crime.
One of the three women, Lea Garofalo, was killed and her body was dissolved in acid after she went to the police with details of the crimes her Mafioso husband, Carlo Cosco, was committing. Similarly, Maria Concetta Cacciola, another ‘Ndrangheta wife, committed suicide by drinking a bottle of acid after she spoke to the police about the crimes of her mob family. Their deaths remain clouded in mystery, but the documentary sheds light on their pivotal contribution to fighting organized crime. The film also explores the story of Giuseppina Pesce, the daughter of a powerful clan boss, who turned state’s witness and helped put some of her family members behind bars.
