Europa ’51 (1952)

(On Cable TV, September 2022) I already loathe Italian neorealism, but for Europa ’51 to add a child’s suicide in the first ten minutes was almost daring me to turn off the film. Alas, this film from writer-director-producer Roberto Rossellini is a mainstay on the longer “best movies of all time” lists, and when it comes to those, my job isn’t to judge, it’s to experience. It turns out that, thanks to the film’s incredibly dim outlook on human nature, it charts a sardonic character arc for its protagonist. Ingrid Bergman plays the grieving mother of the dead child, an upper-class woman who processes her guilt by launching a one-woman crusade to help the less fortunate. Alas, Rossellini’s point is that altruism wasn’t a virtue in post-WW2 Rome—and so he sends his heroine to the asylum, judged incompetent to live in society. As far as themes go, this takes us from neorealism to harsh satire—one further point of distinction for Europa ’51 compared to many similar films of the genre and era. This doesn’t make it any more fun or entertaining to watch, but it adds a layer of interest that’s not necessarily to be found in strictly realistic films. What’s more, it carries an uncomfortable message for viewers as well—altruism is not necessarily about easy feel-good platitudes with no consequences: it can hurt, sever relationships and make one look highly suspect. Does anyone really want to become a saint?