Watched in my Cinema Studies class and my high expectations were exceeded. I loved learning about Italian Neorealism in class and this film inspires me to watch more of this film movement because I was genuinely amazed with the amount of emotion this film contained. So many scenes, equally brilliant in every way. A genuine look into the economic and societal struggles of post-WWII Italy through a heartbreaking story. From the beginning to the end, every moment dripping in the intense natural realism of the movement. Non-actor Lamberto Maggiorani provides the film with such a compelling performance as our main character Antonio Ricci while Enzo Staiola manages to steal every scene as Antonio's son, Bruno. I love learning about how Italian Neorealism is able to take something so simple, so habitual, and turn it into an emotional rollercoaster that you can never be let off of until the end credits begin to roll.

Loved this film and feel like with a potential future rewatch, this could potentially be moved up to a 5 star film but for right now, I feel confident in the 4.5 rating.