UMBERTO D. (1952)

If only man's best friend could chip in on rent... we're doing another De Sica this month, which means more bittersweet humanism, more frantic wanderers, and perhaps more hope amid the rubble? Oh, and a really adorable dog! Join us as we discuss possibly the finest canine-forward film of Italian history...

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UMBERTO D. (1952)
Dir. by Vittorio de Sica
Watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrF-9HEmgbI
Also streaming with HBO Max or the Criterion Channel.

Nobody is vouching for Umberto Domenico Ferrari. Fresh out of an unsuccessful protest for fairer pensions, the elderly retiree returns to his apartment to find that his viperous landlady has preemptively rented out his room to another tenant. Citing his pileup of unpaid backrent, she declares that he's as good as evicted come the end of the month. Already struggling to scrounge together extra Lire by pawning his stuff, Umberto is not only worried for himself, but for his canine companion Flike, a loyal and well-trained mutt who never leaves his master's side. With his only (human) ally a sweet but troubled young maid, the dejected pensioner must find a way to support himself and his four-legged best friend. But the modern world is a maze maze of social systems that that seem barely interested in the wellbeing of the poor and the elderly. Who will advocate for a poor guy in his twilight years?

A sardonic portrait of a bitterly neglectful society, Umberto D. finds levity in its tragedy through the unlikely friendships that keep its main characters afloat. Even if just barely. Let's talk about it!

*As always, this is a movie discussion group—we invite you to watch the film on your own ahead of time, and come ready to discuss.*