La Ciociara Film Analysis

FIlm poster. (Source: Berkeley.edu)

La Ciociara tells the story of a mother and her daughter as they struggle to survive in Italy during World War II. Italy was ravaged at the time the film takes place, from both the war between the Allies and the Axis powers but also because of its own internal war. Mussolini’s fascist regime was brutal on both outsiders and Italians alike. This film also informs us about the time in which it was made. It was released in the early 1960s, when the woman's rights movement was beginning to gain momentum. This film presents us with the image of a strong woman who does what she has to protect her daughter, which falls in line somewhat with the emerging feminist movement.

Benito Mussolini. (Source: Google Images)

Cesira leaves Rome to escape the ravages of the war and seeks shelter with family in the mountains. As they travel to seek refuge, the women encounter other desperate people, and experience cruelty at their hands. One of the most important scenes of the film depicts the rape of the daughter, Rosetta. She and her mother have taken refuge in an abandoned church, when they are found by a group of men who beat Cesira and rape Rosetta. This scene is key because it demonstrates not only the vulnerability and ultimate weakness of the characters in the face of such brutality, but it also marks a change in the relationship between mother and daughter. This event has changed things for both of them and neither they nor the way they see each other will ever be the same. I believe that it is also a metaphor for the experiences of civilians during the war as a whole, representing the violent loss of innocence and security that accompanies war. There is also a scene where Cesira and her daughter are walking and encounter a man on a bicycle. They speak to the man, but he is then killed. This scene demonstrates the impersonality and cruelty of war, as well as its indiscriminate nature. 

The film La Ciociara. (Source: YouTube)