Mamma Roma

A film set in the outer districts of Rome. Mamma Roma spent years working the street. She is freed when her old pimp marries, and decides to change her life. She takes a market stall and brings her son Ettore, raised in the country, to live with her. The plan is simple: the boy will have a proper life. They move to a new flat, she tries to find him work and presents herself differently to the neighbours. But Ettore does not settle. He has no use for school, will not keep a job and starts going around with the groups in the street. When he learns about his mother's past everything changes. The idea is that changing class is not a matter of changing flats. Mamma Roma tries to do everything right and her past does not let go. The best-known image is in the hospital section: the scene was composed after a Renaissance painting and the resemblance is plain. Anna Magnani plays Mamma Roma and Ettore Garofolo plays Ettore. Garofolo was not a professional actor. Pier Paolo Pasolini directed; his second film. A strong example for anyone who likes Italian cinema and social realism. Before you watch, know this: the film goes to a hard place and its ending is heavy.