Do you want to grow old?
Umberto D has grown old. And he has nothing left but a wristwatch that won’t sell and a faithful dog. Patience? Waning. Family? Nope. Friends? Unhelpful. Faith? Long gone.
A true neorealist film, Vittorio De Sica creates a piece that will tug at your heartstrings. In post-war Italy it seems that work and money are more important than education and that a comfortable existence is only for those willing to sell themselves out.
We follow Umberto as his life gets bleaker and bleaker. The real-time sequences give the film a weight a sense of reality that is not often found anymore. We see everyday activities, the maid Maria cleans and cooks, giving us a more comprehensive understanding of what life was like in a war-torn country: relentless, uncompromising, monotonous and unfulfilling.
De Sica is subtle but says much; how is one man to cope with nothing? Who is there to help? Unable to beg, Umberto D has nothing but his own resources to depend on, and these are dwindling.
And yet there is somehow still time to laugh. This film is often as poignant and distressing as it is charming and humorous. Despite the futility of his situation we are invited to see light, to not dwell on unhappiness. And ultimately we are rewarded as Umberto finds redemption.
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