Umberto D.

A film made famous by a cute little dog. Not quite as special anymore, in an age where pet videos dominate the internet, but watching an old man and the loving bond with his pet is certainly something that ages pretty well. Sadly, that's about all I got out of this film, which isn't a lot for 90 minutes of drama.

Umberto lives in a very small room, together with his dog. When he stops working, the rent becomes too much, and his landlord is looking for a way to kick Umberto out. He gets to the end of the month, but then Umberto falls ill and needs to get himself checked into the hospital. When he returns to his home, workmen are refurbishing his apartment.

The film looks better than most other Italian Neorealism dramas of that time, but not spectacularly so. Performances are decent and the bond between the man and his dog is nice enough, but it's also pretty sentimental and the finale is well overdone. Not the worst in its genre, but nothing memorable either.