La Strada - A Beautiful But Heartbreaking Italian Film

 

La Strada is a beautiful, sad, heartbreaking film. I have to see at least part of it, whenever it's on, though it depresses the heck out of me. Poor Gelsomina, a droopy-eyed waif, is servant and punching bag for mean brute Zampano, until his cruel actions lead them both to tragedy. And then there's The Fool, a circus high-wire performer who thinks even the tiniest pebble has a purpose.

If you have the chance to see La Strada, you should take it, if only to observe the art of great filmmaking. It isn't about explosions or CGI or how many times you can get away with dropping the F bomb - it's about revealing the darkness and the light that resides in the human soul. If I could write one script a third as good as La Strada, I'd be the happiest writer on Earth!