The Bicycle Thief

The story of The Bicycle Thief is a simple one: a man needs a job to feed his family. He gets one hanging posters because he owns a bicycle. The first day on the job his bike is stolen, flushing away any dreams of returning for a second day of pay. The man spends an entire day trying to track down the stolen bicycle with his young son, Bruno, at his side. The father and son share a journey that ends in one of the most beautifully startling climaxes in cinema history.

A simple plot for a movie that is so complex. Many talk of the film’s place as an important asset in the Italian Neorealist movement, but above all that, Vittorio De Sica’s film is simply a great character piece. The interaction between father and son, husband and wife, and man and society are all explored. The hero is broken down and driven to investigate the very depths of human indecency; and it is a dramatic, funny, thrilling, and altogether human experience along the way. A great picture.

The Bicycle Thief on IMDB.