Have you ever found yourself walking city streets, surrounded by millions of strangers, wondering if everyone except yourself is going mad?
Marcello, the hero of this comedy, is. Something about his world is wrong, he feels it, we feel it, too, but neither can point towards the reasons or explanations. People die, people get entangled in others business, ATMs malfunction, street performers do their shtick, modern life is absurd.
Do we accept it and walk on smiling? Do we revolt? Or do we retreat into solitude, believing we alone hold the key to this absurd world and everyone else is a loon?
Aseptically shot we get a smooth introduction to these questions. Not a philosophical masterpiece but much deeper than I initially expected. And while the frame on the screen and our mind widens, the big question narrows down: Once you realised how absurd life is - Do you want to isolate yourself in arrogance or face each day with a smile?
Do we accept it and walk on smiling? Do we revolt? Or do we retreat into solitude, believing we alone hold the key to this absurd world and everyone else is a loon?
Aseptically shot we get a smooth introduction to these questions. Not a philosophical masterpiece but much deeper than I initially expected. And while the frame on the screen and our mind widens, the big question narrows down: Once you realised how absurd life is - Do you want to isolate yourself in arrogance or face each day with a smile?