Perceiving clearly on What is Real: A film review about Umberto D.

Danielle Rain D. Lopez

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Vittorio De Sica

Written by: Cesare Zavattini & Vittorio De Sica

In Theaters: Nov 7, 1955, World Wide

Directed, produced and written by none other than Neorealist, Vittorio De Sica in 1952. It is the type of film that’s start with small but as the film progress, you eventually see the bigger picture of its plot at the end of it. Umberto Domenico Ferrari is a retired civil servant that clings to his monthly pension for food, rent, and needs of his dog named Fike. Unable to pay for his rent in a small room where he lives for almost three decades, he was given a notice for eviction. He found sympathy with the maid of his landlady which she also has problems of her own; she’s three months pregnant and she doesn’t know who is the father. A bit ill, Umberto decided to get himself admitted to a hospital. A few days later he was feeling great, he then returns to his apartment where he found construction men renovating the place, he also found out that his landlady is getting married. He then realized Fike was missing, then he went to the city pound, then found him it amended his sad feeling for that day. After doing things that can raise money, he then realized he cannot go back to his old lifestyle. He contemplates suicide. And did not go through it because he thinks of Fike, that who would take care of his beloved dog.

It needs more to show how Umberto really fought for the raise of his pension with his co-elderly people.Which he can affect the viewers of this film to fight with dignity and with a good reason. This just focused on just a single person’s life or single point of view of how he deals with his little pension that he gets from the government. They should’ve pictured this film how they can have a voice within their government; that the government listens to it people. And how the government thinks of the wellness of it people and how to fight the main societal problem which is poverty. 

It is sentimental, depressing, raw, and an eye-opener. 

All in all this film is a must watch by the reason it is still relevant up to this day. It depicts what is real, accurate, and depiction of reality. That poverty is a part of the society that we cannot yet solve and also the low value of pension of the elderly which just can cover their food how about the everything that they need in between.