Bicycle Thieves

Theft of dignity What does a man do when stripped off his means to provide? That’s the million dollar question the film asks in its own way. An Italian neorealism that dives deep into the economic disenfranchisement and the struggle of the common people during the post war period Antonio is an unemployed man and just when he thought the stars were aligning in his favor, all hope crumbles. In the hope of regaining what’s lost, despair slowly creeps in and does the unthinkable: he steals—an act he once condemned—and then endures the wrath of humiliation right in front of his son. Bruno witnesses the shame his father felt and with his innocence tend to console his dad by holding his hand tightly. Something about Italian neorealism really fascinates me. The use of non-professional actors while telling the stories of the struggles of the common people elevates its storytelling technique. While the movement faded away, its DNA is still present in quite a number of indie projects and hopefully we get to see its resurgence in cinema because we really need it in this climate. Films like City Of God and The Florida Project have some neorealist elements though stylized in a contemporary way A beautiful film. One of the greatest films ever made in my opinion. Highly recommend