Two Women Film Analysis

Two Women is a 1960 Italian film directed by Vittorio de Sica and stars actress Sophia Loren as the lead character Cesira. The film tells the story of Cesira trying to protect her young daughter from the horrors of World War II as the Allies begin to invade Italy. Two Women is based on the story La Ciociara by author Alberto Moravia, and while detailing Cesira’s struggles it also details the complicated belief of the Allies “liberation” of Italy as anything but heroic. Despite the Allies’ victory in WWII, de Sica shows throughout the film how Italy was victimized by the Allies invasion as evidenced by the bombings and attacks on major cities, forcing many like Cesira and her daughter, Rosetta, to flee to the mountain village of Ciociara. The …show more content…
Following Michele’s capture by the fleeing German soldiers, Cesira and Rosetta attempt to return home to Rome Now that the Allies have reached Italian soil. As they travel on foot to Rome they seek shelter in a bombed-out church. While they try to rest Cesira and Rosetta are attacked and raped by a large group of Moroccan soldiers of the Allies army. This horrifying scene followed by a freeze-frame close-up of Rosetta, her face one of pure terror, demonstrates the trauma and horrors brought about by the Allies’ invasion. WWII demonstrates many atrocities from mass genocide and brutal assaults with new weapons of war, but no side is above using brutal and selfish atrocities. This scene indicates that even the Allies were capable of committing war atrocities like pillaging and rape and shows that not every assault by them was a heroic liberation. The following scenes show Cesira and Rosetta are traumatized, the latter becoming detached and distant from her mother and no longer an innocent child. War and the crimes committed in war shape people in many ways and for the children it is even worse. The Allies’ invasion caused Rosetta to lose her innocence and scarred her for life. Like both Cesira and Rosetta many other women and children were forced to suffer fates similar or even worse during WWII and it shows that despite their intent to end the war, the Allies were not above committing hideous crimes as seen in Two Women. De Sica shows the effects of Rosetta’s raping can be later seen having compromised her very being, as she gives herself to a truck driver who brought them to a safe haven. Though Cesira had hoped to keep her daughter from compromising herself as a means of survival, she is devastated to discover that Rosetta had done such an act and it shows that the scars caused by the men they hoped would bring