Vittorio De Sica

Umberto D. Vittorio De Sica

Hugely revered Neo-Realist film from Vittorio De Sica, that was for years banned in Italy and labelled as subversive and negative to the country. It is a portrait of an old man, living out his last days alone and abandoned by a post-war Italian society. Non-professional Carlo Battisti plays Umberto Domenico Ferrari, a retired civil servant with no friends, family or prospects to speak of, only his dog Flike for company.

Umberto lives only on his meagre pension and in dire surroundings with a grasping landlady. He has fallen behind on his rent and after many indignities finally reaches a point where suicide seems like the only answer. However he puts those thoughts aside when he realises that Flike would be left to the streets if he was not there.