Paisan (1946)

Roberto Rossellini directs a film comprising six Italian stories dealing with WWII.  This is the second war film of his, the first being Open City.  Like the first one, he again creates a dramatic event detailing the moral corruption of war and a nation's fight for survival.  It does feel hopeless a lot of the time but I could appreciate the importance of showing the truth instead of sugar-coating these stories to make the audience happy.  War is not happy and in crafting this film Rossellini presents an accurate and powerful perspective on a time where his country was almost ruined by the rise of Fascism.  It's a bleak but must-see film for those who enjoy Italian cinema.  One of the aspects that impressed me a lot s that each story, while different, is equally good.  I don't have a favorite because I liked each one quite a lot.  Because of that I don't feel the need to break down each stories' plot, just watch it and let them move you as much as they moved me.  Grade: A