The film starts surprisingly enough with a bit of a row. Seems that a bunch of old Italian workers are a mighty pissed that their pension checks aren’t as much as they should be (or were). They just need a little boost. So there’s a riot of sorts (more yelling and sign waving) than anything and as the government disperses the group we focus on one particular gentleman and has cute dog. He quickly explains a couple things.

1. He’s in debt.
2. His landlady is a bitch.

Scrambling to get some cold hard cash, he tries to sell a watch. Seems that, yes, he’s a bit hard up and if only something good would happen, all would be right with the world. He struggles to sell the watch, and gets a little lunch for him and his dog (and is threatened to be kicked out of the restaurant if he brings the dog in again).

When he returns back to his apartment he finds that his room is being used for a tryst. Though he owes 15,000 lire (for rent and back rent), the landlady (bitch) is using his place for people to have sex (she gets 1,000 lire per hour – not a bad deal, if you ask me).

Stuck waiting for the couple to be done, our old guy hides out in the kitchen and talks to Maria. Maria is an absurdly cute maid who confides in him that she’s preggers (and she doesn’t know who the father is). Though initially shocked by this news Umberto doesn’t take a judgmental attitude (that you might expect) but takes a genuine concern for her. He knows that the landlady (bitch) will kick her out if she finds out.

With the sex finally done, he returns to his room. It’s small. Cozy. But has wallpaper that looks like he lives in walls made of a leafy hedge. I even thought for a moment: “Is he living outside?”

Still, he’s not feeling well (got himself a fever) and Maria helps him by getting him the thermometer, bringing him some tea (or something) and being a good friend.

But what of the landlady (bitch)? She’s an aspiring opera singer who hates Umberto and can’t wait to see him go so she can get on with renting out the room and making some good money. Umberto, though, tries to pay her off with what he’s got but she keeps sending Maria back to him: “All or nothing.”

Frustrated, Umberto looks up a couple old friends and tries to make conversation but though they ask him how he’s doing he never really confides in them that he’s struggling. Finally he decides to go to the Catholic infirmary and get over this cold. In a moment where we finally see a bit of compassion in the landlady’s eyes, he is carted out in a stretcher (trust me, the compassion won’t last).

I know what you’re saying: “What of the dog???” Yes, what OF the dog. The dog is his constant companion, but he has to do a ruse to escape the dog while he’s being carted away. Maria will watch after Flike while he’s recovering.

His stay at the infirmary isn’t long as Maria shows up and he sees his dog across the street. He even opens a window and threatens to get everyone sick(er) just to say hi to his beloved Flike.

When he returns to his apartment, though, Flike is gone! Spending money he shouldn’t, he travels to the dog pound where they collect stray dogs. In some of the most emotional scenes ever put on film…he struggles to find his dog before it is put to sleep. When he DOES find the dog, it is a wonderful sweet moment.

Returning back to his apartment he finds that it has been torn apart by the landlady (bitch). Though he tells Maria he’ll have all the money once he gets his pension check and that he’ll fight – we know he doesn’t have the strength and when the walls have been ripped open and the horrendous wallpaper has been torn down, it’s all that he can do. He contemplates begging, but he can’t bring himself to do it. He contemplates throwing himself from the window, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Finally, sadly, he decides to leave.

Bidding “ciao” to Maria and telling her he left her something in his drawer, he leaves to…?

His first stop is a dog boarder. They’ll take is dog for 100 lire a day. Umberto is willing to pre pay 6,000 lire as he doesn’t know how long he’ll be on “vacation” but then has a change of heart. He then attempts to give the dog away to a little girl but the girl’s nurse(?) says no. He then attempts to run away and hide from the dog, but the dog finds him (curse those dog noses!) and then, finally, he contemplates throwing them both in front of a train – which only scares the shit out of the dog and then Umberto has to ask for forgiveness.

Then…the movie ends.

WHAT I LIKED:

This is a very sweet, sweet story. It certainly rises above the Benji crap of the 70’s. The themes of loss, dignity, love, compassion, forgiveness all ring very true. The old man playing Umberto is spot on perfect. The fact that he always dresses professionally even when his life is unraveling around him shows his desire to hold onto the dignity he had while working for 30 years.

The young actress playing Maria is also very good.

WHAT I DISLIKED:

Though the film hit me in the gut emotionally a number of times, I still had some issues with it. The complete caricature of the bitch of a landlady. She’s so one-dimensional that I’m surprised she didn’t just float away like a piece of paper. There’s also an underlying bitterness in the film. NO ONE, except for Maria and a guy at the infirmary, wants to help poor Umberto (and of course, he’s not asking, either). Also…can’t he find another apartment somewhere? What ties him to this place? Could he not go to the authorities? Doesn’t he have SOME rights as a renter?

But…I think my biggest issue about the film is that it ends but it doesn’t finish the story. It’s not one of those moments where you go: “Wow, that was amazing, I wonder what happens next.” It’s more one of those moments where you go: “Is that it?” What of Maria? What did he leave her? What of Umberto? What of Flike? I wanted more closure – just him getting on a train would be enough but I really felt like the director didn’t know how to end it and just said: “Okay, we’ll stop here.” So in some ways I felt cheated by the ending of the story as opposed to feeling like I had seen something fully complete. But, hey, maybe that’s just me.

OVERALL:

It’s a lovely sweet story, well acted, well filmed. But, sadly, leaves you wanting more but not in a good way.