Two shoeshine boys in postwar Rome save up to buy a horse, but their involvement as dupes in a burglary lands them in juvenile prison where the experience takes a devastating toll on their friendship.

Shoeshine is one of Vittorio De Sica’s most significant neorealist works, alongside the more famous Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D. The optimistic mood of the film’s beginning gradually crumbles, turning into a stunningly sharp critique of power that bristles with fury.