Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script (2025)

Roberto Rossellini did as much as anyone to change what cinema could be. The father of Italian neorealism, he dragged the camera out of the studio and into the rubble of a real, wounded country with Rome, Open City and Paisan, and the films he made went on to shape everyone from the French New Wave to the directors still working today. Seventy years on, a documentary sets out to take the full measure of the man and the work.

Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script, directed by Ilaria De Laurentiis and Andrea Paolo Massara, reaches London as part of the fifth Cinecittà Italian Doc Season at Bertha DocHouse, a season devoted to contemporary Italian non-fiction. It is a fitting home for a loving, archive-rich portrait of one of Italy's defining filmmakers.

Roberto Rossellini - Living Without A Script, the 2025 documentary directed by Ilaria De Laurentiis and Andrea Paolo Massara is incredibly well presented. The directors have done a cracking job piecing together a comprehensive, loving look at the life and career of the Italian neorealist master. Between the top-tier narration, the really interesting cinematic framing of the talking-head interviews, and a treasure trove of beautifully restored archival footage, it's a visually and audibly engaging watch that easily keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Naturally, a massive chunk of the documentary is dedicated to his legendary, scandalous, and world-changing romance with the beautiful Ingrid Bergmann. It's fascinating to see their creative partnership unpacked, but watching the archival clips and listening to the various anecdotes, I couldn't help but get a very specific feeling about Rossellini's ego. You get the distinct impression that the great director absolutely hated playing second fiddle to Bergmann's towering international stardom. While he was the one pioneering the camera work and directing the artistic vision, the sheer magnitude of her celebrity completely eclipsed him in the global press, and you can practically feel his frustration bubbling under the surface as he navigated being the "lesser-known" half of Hollywood's most infamous couple.

Ultimately, De Laurentiis and Massara have crafted a highly enjoyable, deeply affectionate, and thoroughly informative portrait of a man who completely changed the landscape of global cinema. It might not necessarily break new ground in documentary filmmaking, but it more than makes up for it with its sheer charm, excellent pacing, and a wealth of fascinating historical context.

Roberto Rossellini - Living Without A Script is a brilliant, lovingly assembled tribute that gives you a fantastic, up-close look at a cinematic pioneer, even if it leaves you slightly intrigued by the complex, bruised ego of the man behind the camera.

I came to it for the neorealism and stayed for the marriage. It is that bruised, competitive ego, the sense of a giant quietly resenting being the lesser-known half of a famous couple, that I have kept turning over since the credits rolled. As a warm and handsome introduction to a colossus of the medium it does its job beautifully, and I would point anyone who loves film history straight towards it.

Reviewed from a press screener for the 5th Cinecittà Italian Doc Season at Bertha DocHouse, where Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script screens during the 2026 edition, 4 to 5 July.

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