Bicycle Thieves (1948)

*SPOILER FREE

An essential landmark in cinema history. A turning point of storytelling and filmmaking. This is the the highlight of my favorite film movement, Italian neorealism. The cinema movement that went the closest to the ordinary man's real struggles and everyday life's hustle.

Uncovering the drama in everyday life. Said Vittorio De Sica

Following working-class Antonio and his son Bruno in post-WWII Rome on their search for his stolen bicycle, which he and the livelihood of his family depend on. A heartbreaking quest against poverty and desolation.

Bicycle Thieves is a true masterpiece that authentically captures the true essence of the human experience. The innocence, the perseverance, and the shortcomings that make a man a man. The father-son bond, the true wife's persistence in desperation, and the harsh ways of the society.

Shooting only on locations (no studio sets) and casting only untrained unprofessional actors, that some actors portray their actual lives off screen, gave this film a sense of realism like no other, and influenced a generation of filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Martin Scorsese, and movements like the French New Wave and the Iranian New Wave.

Nearly 75 years later, this work of art seems more relevant, more powerful, and more truthful than ever.

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Available to watch, rent/buy on the Criterion Collection, HBO Max and on Amazon Prime Video

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