Vanina – A deputy commissioner in Catania – TV Series (2024)

Giovanna Guarrasi, “Vanina”, leaves the anti-mafia mobile squad in Palermo after an important and brilliant career, to move to Catania and take on the role of deputy commissioner in the homicide section. Vanina is constantly invaded by traumatic flashbacks relating to the death of her father, Inspector Giovanni Guarrasi, killed in front of her in a mafia attack when, as a teenager, she was starting her high school career. Her mission to avenge her father becomes too burdensome when her boyfriend, Paolo Malfitano, a magistrate with whom she collaborated, is threatened. Perhaps out of fear of losing him too, Vanina breaks off the relationship and “takes refuge” in this new assignment in Catania where she finds a good team and new professional and sentimental challenges. The past, however, does not seem so easy to close.

The series, based on the novels by Cristina Cassar Scalia, who collaborated in writing the screenplay together with Leonardo Marini, fascinated the public thanks to the direction of Davide Marengo, reaching a share of 16.96% in the last episode on 17 April. This success, thanks also to the good performance of Giusy Buscemi, suggests a possible second season.

In terms of how the characters are characterized, the fiction is certainly influenced by its literary origins, starting with the protagonist: Vanina has the closures typical of someone who suffered very early, determined in giving directives, beautiful and refined in her features, but less so in her manners: she eats and he smokes voraciously, remembering, in his childish excesses, Nikita. Sleepless from the trauma, she finds comfort and tranquility thanks to old Italian films on DVD.

There are certainly some similarities with The investigations of Lolita Lobosco: the protagonists are in fact beautiful women in a purely male environment, with the mourning of their father to process: Vanina’s victim of the mafia, Lolita’s inveterate smuggler, avoidant in the face of requests for closeness from family members, in particular the mother. Two very strong and very weak women at the same time but, with very different styles and personalities, feminine and sensual Lolita, more masculine and shy Vanina.

However, the series has a soul and a very specific emotional climate thanks to the characters; a set of nice and captivating portraits that involve the viewer in their progressive revelation. From the pragmatic Carmelo Spanò to the boss Tito Macchia, called by everyone, in his absence, “the great Boss” and the tender Domenico “Mimmo” Nunnari with his aptitude for dressing in military clothes. Then there are the supporting characters ranging from the retired commissioner Biagio Patanè to the pediatrician Manfredi Monterreale who help Vanina in solving the cases.

The actors, starting with Buscemi, are credible in their performances. Of note is the beautiful interpretation of Danilo Arena in the part of Salvatore Lo Faro which sees him as the protagonist in the last episode. In the choice of music, Santi Pulvirenti’s original compositions underline the different moods of the protagonist and there are homages such as “Il cuore è un zingaro” by Nicola di Bari.

In the contents, the outcomes of trauma (besides that of the protagonist), mistreatment or bullying are explored, such as that which gives rise to a serious mental illness which however can be managed or made manageable even at work, if a good group is found and an emotional network to rely on. Perhaps, to give emphasis to the message, the disease is not made explicit and remains very generic. This, which despite its laudable intent, remains a lightness and is accompanied by others in the writing. Vanina’s trauma, correctly indicated by the flashbacks, nevertheless appears excessive and redundant. Then the ease with which Vanina obtains some information appears unlikely: for example in the episode “The climb of the soap makers” a book given to her by Patanè contains, coincidentally, a fundamental image for the case and with the same ease Vanina even contacts the author of the book in question.

The series however conquers, despite everything, we become fond of the characters and their stories, then it leaves some important things suspended which make us wait for a second season, perhaps already in the pipeline.
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