Vittorio de Sica's Umberto D is sited as the final authentic film in the Italian Neo-Realism movement. It is a film that is equally cruel and kind, the kind of symbiosis that neo-realism lends itself to perfectly. The film concerns itself with Umberto, an aging man who is buried in the expansion and ambition of post-war Italy.
The cruelty of the film comes from a certain disconnect between all of the characters in the film. People are selfish, greedy and lacking in compassion throughout the entire film. Umberto himself is not a kind character, though he does find compassion for the servant girl in his apartment building. Even this compassion finds no proper outlet as he befriends her but is entirely unable to help her.
The only hopeful relationship is between Umberto and his little dog Flike. The disparity of all human interaction is only emboldened by this fact. Umberto is left with only enough dignity to care for his dog. Abandoned by the government, the church, co-workers, friends and ultimately himself in an attempt to jump in front of a train, Umberto's final sense of worth comes less from having a dog that needs him, than from the mutuality of a dog and a man who is treated like a dog. Yet the final impression of the film is that this is enough for survival, even hope. The ambiguity of Umberto's origin perhaps extended this hope to all Italians who needed a reason to survive in the ambitious bulldozer of post-war rebuilding.
Because it is impossible to praise this film enough:
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