Two Women

Cesira, a widowed shopkeeper, and her devout twelve-year-old daughter Rosetta live in Rome during World War II. The city endures heavy bombing, forcing them to confront danger and disruption. The war shapes their daily routines and choices.

On the night before they flee Rome, Cesira has a sexual encounter with Giovanni, a married coal dealer who agrees to look after her store in her absence. The affair underscores how war pressures relationships and complicates trust. It foreshadows the moral compromises families make to survive.

Cesira and Rosetta flee to Ciociaria, Cesira's rural homeland in central Italy, seeking safety from the bombardments. They must adjust to a harsher, intimate landscape and new neighbors. Rosetta's world expands beyond Rome as they settle into village life.

In Ciociaria, Cesira attracts Michele, a young local intellectual with communist sympathies. Rosetta forms a bond with him, seeing him as a father figure and protector. The new attachment reshapes the family dynamics.

Michele is captured by German soldiers and forced to act as a guide through the mountainous terrain. The occupation intrudes on daily life and foreshadows further losses. His capture deepens the sense of danger surrounding the family.

After the Allies capture Rome in June 1944, Cesira and Rosetta decide to head back to the city. They hope for a return to normality, though the trauma they endured continues to haunt them. The decision marks a turning point in their journey.

On the road back, the two women are gang-raped inside a church by Moroccan Goumiers, soldiers attached to the invading Allied Armies. The assault shatters Rosetta’s sense of safety and distorts her view of sacred spaces. The trauma tests the resilience of their relationship.

Rosetta becomes emotionally distant, traumatized by the rape and the loss of her innocence. She withdraws from her mother and the world around her, signaling a lasting wound from the violence. Cesira watches her daughter change and struggles to reach her.

The two women find shelter in a neighboring village, but Rosetta disappears during the night. Cesira panics, fearing that Rosetta has wandered off in search of Michele. The search underscores the fragility of safety amid war.

Cesira learns that Michele was killed by the Germans, a loss tied to the broader violence around them. Rosetta returns after spending time with an older boy who gives her silk stockings, signaling altered innocence. Cesira lashes out, slapping and spanking Rosetta as she tries to cope.

The film closes with Cesira comforting Rosetta, offering maternal warmth as the girl remains emotionally scarred by the events. The scene underscores the endurance of motherhood amid war’s scars. It hints at a fragile hope that their bond can endure the traumas they've endured.