The Bicycle Thief

Rob and I actually got all of the kids into bed at a decent hour and watched the movie, The Bicycle Thief. It is an Italian movie with subtitles, so Rob was especially excited to see it. He said that there was a pretty thick dialect so he was relying a lot on the subtitles too. We both really liked this movie!

It’s hard to say that I love it, because it is a bit depressing. It takes place in an impoverished community post World War II and follows one man and his son as they search for a bicycle the father needs to keep a new job. There are no special effects, and the plot is simple, but the emotions of desperation and hope keep you locked into the story. The performances by the Father, Antonio, and his son, Bruno, are amazing. They really make you feel their pain. In fact, every character comes with a history and depth that you wouldn’t expect from such a simple story. I don’t want to say too much about it because it helps to go into the movie without a synopsis of its events. It helps add to that feeling of – what are they going to do next?- The movie makes you think and feel and sympathize. All things that don’t seem to be the motivation of movie makers now. If you’ve seen it, tell me what you think; If you haven’t, go out and rent it!