In the United States, too many people reflexively associate the murderous Italian-born crime entity called the Mafia with the pop culture products it inspires. But for the common people of Sicily, and its capital, Palermo, the Mafia has been a long-term waking nightmare, yielding incredibly high murder rates and viral, nearly all-encompassing corruption.

The photojournalist Letizia Battaglia started photographing Mafia crime scenes in Palermo, her hometown, in the mid-1970s. “Shooting the Mafia” is a documentary about her life, directed by Kim Longinotto, whose prior work focuses on women in social crises the world over, with an emphasis on their personal stories. This movie is no exception, which might be a source of frustration to some viewers.

The movie begins with Battaglia as she is today: a vital and energetic woman in her early 80s whose bright hair color has a punk exuberance. Speaking of her work, she states, “I began taking pictures when I was 40.” Soon, she insists, “Before finding the camera, I was not a person.”