Umberto D.

The Grumpy Vegan watched Umberto D. last night. This 1952 Italian film tells the story of an old man, Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti), and his dog, Flike, living in Rome. The film begins with Ferrari, a retired civil servant, protesting with others like him against the poverty of their situation on a state pension and ends, well, that would be spoiling the film’s powerful impact. Let’s just say that Flike’s role becomes centre-stage as the film progresses. At one point, Ferrari and Flike are separated, which leads to a sequence filmed at the city’s animal shelter. This is a classic for an animal rights film festival. This sad but powerful film concludes with the importance of the relationship humans have with animals.