Cabiria is such a tragic character. Her eyes emote so much, you can’t help but feel bad for her despite her poor decisions, which are mostly due to hope and naiveté. Even after her lover has tried to drown her she runs back to him. She keeps doing it out of hope for that life she so desperately wants. The moment where she is forced to hide in the movie star’s bathroom hurts so much especially during the wonderful shot with her looking through the keyhole. Just like her, we want her life to be so much better than it is. This is also the most Italian film I’ve ever seen complete with big emotions and hand waving, weeping women in a church, people telling women they are beautiful ad nauseam, etc. It also represents the cycle of men being cruel to women.
