Nights of Cabiria's main strength is its actress Masina, who makes the film extremely involving. Her character exudes a convincingly tough exterior yet also an underlying vulnerable hope. The film gives her many opportunities to find a fulfilling life but dashes her hopes every time, from the very start to the famous actor to her eventual husband. Her emotional journey allows us to understand why and how she retains hope during this whole time, yet the theme of a "hooker with a heart of gold" was overdone in this film (especially during the church sequence) and the betrayals felt too repetitive.
Review of Nights of Cabiria
