Dir: Elio Petri | Italy Drama 1962
Reviewed by Richard Chatten
A remarkable antecedent of the slacker genre in which an Italian plumber approaching 54 who has been working continuously since he was 12 undergoes an epiphany after witnessing the sudden death of a fellow passenger while travelling to work one morning; although his 30-a-day habit shows that he had himself given up long ago.
Abruptly he decides “that it!!”, chucks in his job, starts visiting art galleries, bonding with youngsters, hanging out with Vespa riders, examines Jupiter through a telescope, attends trials, questions beggars and generally experiences the pleasures of being a non-productive member of society.
Naturally this isn’t allowed to last for long and (SPOILER COMING:) after a few days during which he considers getting his arms broken by racketeers he goes back to fixing toilets. A fate he seems to accept stoically.
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