A needy young man with a penchant for baking finds himself newly single and in search of a home, and himself.
#30: Stromboli (Roberto Rossellini, 1950)
Ingrid Bergman experiences the land of God in Roberto Rossellini’s 1950 film.
#29: La terra trema (Luchino Visconti, 1948)
Luchino Visconti’s second film follows a Sicilian fishing family who strives to rise up out of poverty, but face hardships at every turn.
#28: Two Sicilian Love Stories by Pietro Germi
Pietro Germi goes to Sicily with “Divorce Italian Style” and “Seduced and Abandoned,” critiquing law & society against the backdrop of decaying aristocracy and the rise of the mafia.
#27: The Hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino, 2021)
“The Hand of God” is a semi-autobiographical tale a young man in Naples whose life is transformed when a terrible tragedy pushes him from an idyllic childhood to somber adulthood.
#26: The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)
This sprawling work examines Roman high society, as well as broader themes of artistry, beauty, and experiences both individual and collective.
#25: I vitelloni (Federico Fellini, 1953) & I basilischi (Lina Wertmüller, 1963)
Discussing two tales of young men, directionless and in limbo, and exploring their thematic similarities & differences.
City of Women (1980)
Fellini’s 1980 film reflects an impotence, both figurative and literal, of man in the era of feminism.
#24: Domenica d’agosto (Luciano Emmer, 1950)
Discussing this example of “pink neorealism” as well as its themes of class, regionalism, and more.
#23: Luca (Enrico Casarosa, 2021)
“Luca” has rich overtones of a coming out story dealing with identity and acceptance, as well as numerous references to Italian culture, music, and more cinema italiano.