Il Grido
A drifting mechanic carries his daughter across a stark industrial landscape, seeking in successive relationships an emotional home he cannot recover.
Overview
A poignant exploration of love and loss set against the backdrop of post-war Italy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- austere
- intimate
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize a bleak, finely directed study of working-class emotional alienation, though its dismal tone and apparent coldness divided early audiences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Aldo travels with Rosina through several places and relationships while remaining unable to resolve his grief and need for Irma.
Aldo's work as a mechanic and the oil-refinery environment situate the failed relationship within stark working-class spaces.
Aldo repeatedly enters new relationships with Elvia, Virginia, and Andreina while trying unsuccessfully to fill the absence left by Irma.
The film presents Aldo's love, depression, and failed attachments through restraint and emotional distance associated with Antonioni's early modernist drama.
Films like Il Grido, and why
L'Avventura
shared themes of emotional alienation, fractured relationships, and austere modernist drama
La Notte
shared postwar Italian setting, working-class displacement, and bleak romantic disconnection
La Strada
shared melancholic realism, wandering protagonists, and intimate examination of failed relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Michelangelo Antonioni
- Release Date
- 1957-09-26
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (172)
Cast
- Steve Cochran
- Alida Valli
- Dorian Gray
- Jacqueline Jones
- Gabriella Pallotta
- Pina Boldrini
- Guerrino Campanilli
- Mirna Girardi
- Lilia Landi
- Gaetano Matteucci
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Il Grido about?
- A drifting mechanic carries his daughter across a stark industrial landscape, seeking in successive relationships an emotional home he cannot recover.
- What is Il Grido like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Il Grido as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Il Grido violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Il Grido.
- What did critics think of Il Grido?
- Critics broadly recognize a bleak, finely directed study of working-class emotional alienation, though its dismal tone and apparent coldness divided early audiences.
- Which films are like Il Grido?
- Films with a similar feel include L'Avventura, La Notte, and La Strada.
- How long is Il Grido?
- Il Grido runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Il Grido?
- In United States, Il Grido is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Fandango At Home.
