1954 – La Strada (The Road)

It’s an italian road movie directed by Federico Fellini. It stars Anthony Quinn as Zampano and Fellini’s wife Giulletta Masina as Gelsonima as a pair traveling Italy with a sort of circus act. It’s included with Germany’s Amazon Prime subscription.

The Oscars are tonight! I know the spectacle is not as esteemed as it once was, but I do enjoy the conversation around it, since inevitably I find out about a movie or performance that wasn’t on my radar. This year I am rooting for Sentimental Value, but I know that it won’t win much. Definitely not best movie – the social commentary on One Battle After Another or Sinners is just too big this year. Not best director – also here PTA or Ryan Coogler would come before Joachim Trier. Not best actress – Renate Reinsve gives the best performance of the year; an exercise of communicating so much without saying anything, but Oscars usually go for “most” acting, so Jesse Buckley will win it for Hamnet. But one Oscar that the movie stands good chances of winning is Best International Film, which often are also very good movies (though often very serious).

So why not go with the first International Feature Film that won the Academy Award (back then called “Best Foreign Language Film”), Federico Fellini’s La Strada? After all, Fellini managed to win the prize 4 times in total, though never the actual Best Director Oscar. There’s a huge gap in my filmography here, I have never seen a Fellini movie, no “La Dolce Vita“, no “8 1/2“, so I thought I would start with one of his earlier works.

The movie is about a traveling strongman Zampano who buys Gelsomina, a woman with developmental disability, from her mother to become her wife / companion. His act is breaking a chain around his chest with his muscles and Gelsonima should now provide some comic relief and musical numbers to enhance this somewhat simple act. He treats her quite badly during the time they are together: hits her, insults her, leaves her on the streets the whole night while going off with another woman – just treats her like a piece of garbage. Things escalate when they meet Il Matto (The Fool), another traveling circus-man culminating in a tragic end for the characters.

This was not an easy watch. The monotony of life on the road with the same dumb act over and over again is grating. The abuse Gelsomina experiences is spirit crushing. There are small moments of happiness or moments of realization, the way she learns to play the one tune on the trumpet, only for it to crumble down again. As such, I did not like the experience of watching the movie.

But it stays with you thanks to the wonderful performances of the two main characters (and the Fool to some extent). How Gelsomina tries to give Zampano yet another chance, how Zampano is brutishly in love with her, yet can’t express it. You all feel it from the performances. And so I will cheat and leave the review of another letterboxd user here, captured so well what the movie leaves:

Sometimes in life we meet someone special even if we don’t realize it until we’ve moved past them. Someone you find who is kind, curious, maybe a little bit innocent and maybe a little bit naive, but nonetheless someone you can take in under your wing. It’s a favor you’re doing them, showing them the ropes of life and teaching them things they never knew about before.

Though you were strangers at one point you grow closer to each other, closer to their eyes and their smile until you can see them in your sleep. You start to look forward to the presence of their company until you start to miss them when you’re away. No matter, you always come back. That’s just how reliant you are with each other.

Soon you become inseparable, familiar with each other’s quirks and habits as well as what irritates the other. Sometimes it can’t be helped, these irritations I mean, especially when it comes from them. You can’t be helped, getting upset I mean, especially because you’re so close to them. Sometimes it’s so much you need to leave. No matter, you always come back. That’s just how dependent you are on each other.

Until one day they irritate you so much that you leave and never come back. You wasted your time on them, on giving them everything you could when you could’ve just let them go on their way. Good bye, good riddance, and good luck with your life. You won’t be a part of it anymore.

… and then one day you look back and remember those days. You realize you gave them all you could, except your compassion, your patience, your understanding, your kindness. Why didn’t you give those too? Because you loved them, you loved them and didn’t want to accept that. Because to do so would be to truly let them into your heart, and that’s a closeness you just weren’t ready for – even if they were.