In the film Bicycle Thieves the main character's young son, Bruno, plays an important role in the story and goes through his development throughout the film. Specific elements of the film's mise-en-scène, including the sets, settings, and the actor's performance as Bruno, are crucial to his character's identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The young actor who plays Bruno, Enzo Staiola, provides the viewer with information about his character mainly through expression, gestures and actions. Bruno's actions show elements of his character, such as his unusual maturity and sense of responsibility, as well as his love and care for his family. A perfect example of this happens near the beginning of the film, when Antonio and Bruno get ready and go to work. Several moments in this scene reflect on Bruno's traits as explained above. First, he is shown to be cleaning his father's bicycle without complaining about having to do the job. This shows not only that he cares for his father enough to willingly clean his bicycle - apparently as a habit - but is also concerned about his state due to its importance to his family's livelihood. Later in the scene, Bruno closes the window he had opened to let in the light so that his little brother is not exposed to the elements, thus similarly showing how he cares for his family and has a sense of responsibility for their well-being that goes far beyond that of most children his age. Finally, Antonio is shown accompanying Bruno as he goes to work at his job, indicating that he is a breadwinner in his family as well as his father. His sacrifice of his childhood to help support his family and the responsibility that comes with being able to do so clearly shows that he cares for his family and has the maturity to help them in their time of need, even at such a young age. He also shows his helpfulness and empathy throughout the film through actions and expressions that show that he cares a lot about his father and has the emotional maturity to try to help him. This manifests itself in the final moments of the film, when Bruno takes his father's hand, giving him reassurance and comfort after falling prey to the desperation of poverty and ignoring his morals to steal another's bicycle. In addition to Bruno's character performance, the film's realistic settings also serve to inform viewers' understanding of the characters. The sets and locations where the film was shot are mostly stark, dilapidated, war-stricken locations that reflect Bruno's unusual maturity and the effect of poverty on him and his life. Referring again to the scene mentioned above, the miserable living situation of the Ricci family is shown shortly before we see Bruno go to work, demonstrating how the poverty in which he lives affected his life as a child and forced him to take up a great responsibility. In contrast, one of the few times we see Bruno behave like a child is when he is temporarily removed from the context of poverty in the restaurant scene. When he finds himself in this nicer environment, momentarily free from the weight of their desperate situation, Bruno seems happier, more carefree and silly as a child often is: pulling long strands of mozzarella from his sandwich, looking jealously at another boy in the restaurant. This serves to further demonstrate that Bruno is heavily influenced..