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Rating: 4 out of 5
World War II was a horrible time in the world. Hitler and Nazi Germany went crazy with rising to power, enslaving most of the world, and trying to eradicate the Jewish people. Japan also went crazy and bombed Pearl Harbor, which woke the sleeping giant of America. America doing American things, dropped the atomic bomb on them. There have been a shit ton of films that shows the horrors and even heroics of World War II. You have movies like Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Tora, Tora, Tora, The Dirty Dozen, and so many others that it could take me a shit load of time just to name them all.
While many films focus on the fighting and soldiers of World War II, many don’t explore what citizens go through. The only one that comes to mind is the Diary of Anne Frank. If you did middle or high school English, you would’ve read some of the Diary of Anne Frank. If you had the pleasure, like me, had the opportunity to watch a movie based on the famous diary. Recently, I watched a film called Two Women. I didn’t know what to expect from the box cover or gave it any thought. Well, I must say that I was impressed with the performance of Sophia Loren and the story of a mother protecting her daughter from the horrors of the infamous war in Italy.
The film revolves around Cesira (Loren), one of the most beautiful women in the world. Cesira is a successful grocery store owner in Rome. She is very protective of her innocent and extremely religious thirteen-year-old daughter, Rosetta (Brown). Cesira puts her daughter first before her own with finding love while knowing she is a very desirable woman. With World War II raging on and Rome getting bombed to hell, Cesira decides to bounce and protect the emotionally and physically fragile Rosetta. Cesira decides that the best place to go is the countryside of her small hometown of Sant’Eufemia. Thinking that they can live in the town throughout the war, they soon learn that war spreads to every corner of the world and life. In the beginning, everything seems fine with Cesira and the villagers. As time passes, the pair meet Michele, who falls in love with Cesira, but Cesira doesn’t return the feelings, while Rosetta falls in love with Michael. In all the love affairs, Cesira makes a bold decision that will change their lives forever.
First, I want to give it to Sophia Loren. She straight-up carried this film because, without her performance, I don’t know if it would’ve been as good. Loren straight-up owned this film. When she came on the scene, I was like, DAMN! Let me holla at you for a second. Loren brought that fierce, seductive, and strong presence to Cesira. She also brought a caring side to Cesira as she would do anything for her innocent daughter and protect her at all costs from the war.
Now for the actual story. I have mixed feelings about it. On one end, I found it a tad meh. A woman takes her child to the town where she grew up. There wasn’t really any drama in the first half. When the film’s second half came along, that is where shit went down, and the film went from 0 to 100 real quick. When the German soldiers roll up and take Michele as a prisoner to guide them through the mountainous terrain, you knew he isn’t coming back.
I was taken aback when Cesira and Rosetta traveled back to Rome after hearing that the Allied forces had invaded and captured Rome. The pair travel back and stop at a church. This is where shit went terribly wrong. The pair get ganged raped by Moroccan Goumiers or soldiers attached to the invading Allied Armies in Italy. You feel for the pair because Cesira seems strong and moves on, but Rosetta’s mind and spirit break completely. That was the hardest to view because no twelve-year-old kid should’ve gone through that. In the end, Cesira could only hold Rosetta.
Two Women is more about one woman and her quest to protect her daughter. Once again, Sophia Loren is an undeniable beauty and is the one that carries this film. She deserved her Academy Award for her performance. The story is meh in the beginning, but the film’s second half is where everything goes down. Two Women is one of those films that won’t leave a strong impression on you later on but is still a great watch.
