Nights of Cabiria

Prostitute Cabiria and her lover Giorgio chase each other through a field and up to the bank of a river. Oblivious to Giorgio's criminal intentions, Cabiria stands close to the edge of the water, and he pushes her into the river and runs off with her purse and money. Her shouts for help are heard by a young boy playing nearby, and he alerts some other children and adults who rescue her from drowning. Cabiria returns to her small home, but Giorgio has disappeared. She is bitter, and when her best friend and neighbor, Wanda, tries to help her get over him, Cabiria shoos her away and remains disgruntled. One night, she is outside an upscale nightclub in town and witnesses a loud spat between famous movie star Alberto Lazzari and his girlfriend. The irritated Lazzari takes the star-struck Cabiria to another club where they dance the mambo, before returning to the movie star's house, where Cabiria is astounded by its opulence. The two share an affectionate moment in Lazzari's bedroom, but are interrupted by the intrusion of Lazzari's girlfriend. Cabiria is shunted into the bathroom, and ends up watching through the keyhole of its door as Lazzari and his girlfriend reconcile. She leaves quietly in the morning. The following day, a church procession passes by the street where Cabiria and her friends work. As the others mock the Church, Cabiria is drawn to the procession. Just as she is about to join it, a man driving a truck pulls up and offers her a ride, but leaves her lost and annoyed. She sees a man giving food and essentials to some poor people living in caves. She has never seen this man before, but she is both impressed and confused by his charity toward others. The following day, Cabiria and some of her friends attend a pilgrimage, where she pleads with the Virgin Mary for a better life. After the procession ends, Cabiria expresses sadness at the fact that her friends seem to have not changed anything about their lives. Cabiria goes to a magic show, and the magician drags her up on stage and hypnotizes her. As the audience laugh, she acts out her desires to be married and live a happy life. Furious at having been taken advantage of for the audience's amusement, she leaves in a huff. Outside the theatre, a man named Oscar is waiting to talk to her. He was in the audience, and he says he agrees with her that it was not right for everyone to laugh, but believes that fate has brought them together. They go for a drink, and at first she is cautious and suspicious, but after several meetings she falls deeply in love with him; they are to be married after only a few weeks. Cabiria is delighted and sells her home and takes out all her money from the bank. The sum of more than 700,000 lire in cash represents her dowry, and when she shows it to Oscar in a restaurant, he advises her to keep it in the purse. However, during a walk in a wooded area, on a cliff overlooking a lake, Oscar becomes distant and starts acting nervous. Cabiria realizes that, just like her earlier lover, Oscar intends to steal her money. She throws her purse at his feet, sobbing in convulsions on the ground and begging for him to kill her as he takes the money and abandons her. She later picks herself up and stumbles out of the wood in tears. As Cabiria walks the road back to town, she encounters a group of young people riding scooters, playing music, and dancing. They happily form an impromptu parade around her until she begins to smile, as a single black-mascara tear falls down her face.

Plot from Nights of CabiriaCC BY-SA 4.0