Review of Mamma Roma (1962) by Miruna . — 07 Aug 2012

*Spoilers* Among the films I would consider "raw cinema". Shot in powerful black & white, with constantly stunning visuals. A story of a teen (Ettore) and his mother (Mamma Roma). The teen in unable to put his thoughts and emotions in the right places, so his mother, try's to do so by trying to give him a future.

Doing so, Mamma Roma can't put her thoughts in the right places either. They both try to continue their lives as they did before Mamma Roma trying to help her son. Things start to slide out of their control, and once they almost hit rock bottom in that, they begin to hate each other, because all the shameful things in there lives get in the way of their mother-son relationship.

Ettore gets arrested and even more shame grows, and they both grow nostalgic for the past. Throughout the film, it is slightly surreal, especially the ending, but it's always powerful, beautiful, and emotional.

One of the greatest shots in the film is when Mamma Roma is with the fellow prostitutes, and she wanders around the pitch-black parking lot at night and she expresses her thoughts the people around there.

They do this more than once, in which, Mamma Roma's thoughts gradually get more bleak and less enjoyable for those listening. The film, while it exceeds so much in character study, so much in visuals, so much in it's subtle story, and well, in what it keeps subtle, it has terrific pacing.

It's pacing is comparable to "Goodfellas". Though the two films are entirely different, it does have that same perfectly timed decent to rock bottom. And they try to continue their same routines throughout, even with things obviously getting more hectic.

Pasolini hasn't had an illiterate moment in his career, and this is certainly a highlight. Among my personal favorite films, and a cinematic gem for everyone.