In the bustling streets of Rome, right after World War II: Two boys, Pasquale and Giuseppe, scrape by with petty scams and by shining shoes for the American Allied forces. However, their dream of owning a horse seems out of reach. Attilo, Giuseppe’s brother, shows the two friends a way to make money quickly. But while this path is less arduous, it is far more dangerous... Together with screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, De Sica relied on non-professional actors, authentic locations, and a sober, deeply compassionate narrative style. Alongside Rossellini’s *Rome, Open City* (1945), the film shaped the aesthetic of a movement that turned cinema toward social reality in the wake of fascism. At the same time, it already foreshadows “Bicycle Thieves” (1948). In 1948, “Shoeshine” received an Honorary Oscar—a precursor to the later award for Best Foreign Language Film. "A seminal work of Italian neorealism that combines its angry indictment of the jealousy and brutality of the adult world with a plea for humanity and hope. Exceptionally vivid in its depiction of the setting, characters, and postwar atmosphere, and moving in its realistic portrayal of a humane attitude. (Alternative title: “Schuschia”)—Well worth seeing” (Lexikon des Internationalen Films)