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La Strada

1954 · Movie · NR · 115 min · ★ 7.9 · 92% critics

Drama

A naive young woman is taken from her poor family to travel with a rough, itinerant strongman, helping him perform as they move from town to town. As she tries to make sense of hardship, loyalty, and dignity on the road, a new friendship opens her eyes to different possibilities and deepens the tension between them.

Also known as The Road

Where to watch

Streaming on HBO Max.

2 hours to watch.

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Details
Original title
La strada
Years
1954
Release date
1954-09-23
Language
Italian
Rated
NR
Runtime
115 min
Critic score
92/100
TMDB rating
7.9/10 (1,165 votes)
About

You’ll likely connect with this if you want a heartfelt, downbeat road story about fragile hope amid harsh treatment, similar in spirit to Nights of Cabiria; Not for you if you avoid bleak, emotionally heavy dramas.

Pros: deeply moving character drama; memorable performances; poignant road journey | Cons: bleak themes; slow, methodical pacing; unsettling emotional cruelty

Themes

  • prison
  • dying and death
  • rage and hate
  • unsociability
  • circus
  • authority
  • in love with enemy
  • wave
  • sadness
  • road trip
  • single
  • revenge
  • +1 more

Awards & recognition

  • Academy AwardBest International Feature Film · 1957
  • Academy AwardBest Writing, Original Screenplay · 1957 · nominated
  • Academy AwardBest International Feature Film · 1957 · nominated
  • International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1957 · nominated

Cast & crew

Directed by Federico Fellini