Bicycle Thieves
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
A poor father loses the one thing his job depends on, and his small son watches him fail. The film honors work, family and the dignity of the poor, and it ends with an act of mercy and a child's hand in his father's. The reservation is that Antonio turns to a fortune teller and then to theft, and the film asks for pity more than judgment.
For parents
For teens and adults, with subtitles. Say plainly that stealing was wrong even though Antonio was desperate, and that the Church forbids fortune telling (CCC 2116). Ask: why did the owner let Antonio go? What did Bruno give his father at the end?