Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Vision of the Past . . . and the Future

My dear readers, you know my affection for Anna Magnani is strong, but this week's film, Mamma Roma, calls us to pay some close attention to one of its lesser characters. Bruna (played by Silvana Corsini), is Mamma Roma's worst nightmare, as she is a clear reflection of the aging prostitute/fruit vendor in her youth. Bruna is the young, single mother of a two year old son, she has no prospects in terms of work or family, and she exchanges sex with the young men in her neighborhood for gifts. We can see the fear and resentment in Mamma Roma's face as she eyes Bruna in the market - at least Mamma Roma was a bona fide hooker; Bruna is merely a promiscuous girl who stupidly expects she might get ahead in some small way using her body.

Bruna gets the short end of the stick in Pasolini's second outing as a film director. Were Mamma Roma to recognize the similarities between her life and Bruna's, were she to show the girl some compassion, were she to open her eyes to her own sons misguided decisions, the viewer mightn't be so opposed to Bruna's misguided decisions. Bruna is not so stupid as Mamma Roma assumes - she inhabits a space in which it makes sense for her to keep the gang of local boys on her side. They have no qualms about assaulting her, and she has no means to get out. When the boys are enraged over her decision to 'go for a walk' with Ettore, she sides with their violent group. This move appears cold, but I believe we are left to wonder what might happen to Bruna were she to reject them for Ettore's company.

This situation parallels Mamma Roma's - she who finds herself at the mercy of her old pimp. He needs money, so she must find her way back to the street and pay up, or face several consequences that are, I'm sure you know, undesirable. In spite of Mamma Roma's claim that the individual is responsible for her lot in life, Mamma Roma is very much a film about constraints, context, and inhibiting structures. Bruna gives us a glimpse of those constraints on Mamma Roma's past as the character of Mamma Roma provides insight into how they might affect Bruna's future.

Image found here.

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