Film Recommendation: Roma città aperta/Rome, Open City

I’m blogging almost every day in the run-up to the US release of Daughter of Genoa. Today: my favourite movie of all time.

It’s hard for me to express (coherently) what is so amazing about Roberto Rossellini’s 1945 masterpiece Roma città aperta. Fortunately, A O Scott from the New York Times has already done a much better job than I could.

This film is a must-watch for anyone interested in the everyday human aspects of resistance under Nazi occupation. The highlight for me is the towering yet tender performance of Aldo Fabrizi, a veteran comic actor, in the role of don Pietro. If you haven’t already seen it, you know what to do.

Daughter of Genoa is published in the US on December 9, 2025.