Rome, Open City (1945)

The first film in Roberto Rossellini’s war trilogy, this was secretly filmed during the Nazi occupation of Rome and follows a group of people coping with the occupation, most notably a Resistance fighter trying to find a way out of the city with the help of a Catholic priest. The realism of the film is sometimes difficult to watch. History has painted Italy during World War II with the broad brush of being an part of the Axis powers, but this film powerfully explores what happened afterward when they were subjected to the same atrocities the Nazis had been committing throughout Europe. Additionally there is an intriguing exploration on religion and faith and how one can hold on to such things while bearing witness to such atrocities. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay