Accattone

“Pimp! Hustler! Procurer”! A brazen outcast of society desperately tries to survive, making a living as a pimp. Pasolini’s directorial debut, Accattone, immediately stands out for its essentialist cinematic language, expressed, among other things, through shots focused on the faces of characters immersed in intense dialogue. It is a “scandalous” poetics, marked by a strong ideological awareness that highlights the tragic history of Rome’s underclass.

By the time this Italian debut came to light, its director was already a recognized intellectual, poet, and communist activist – having been deeply involved in the great cultural ferment of Italy’s left-wing circles in the late 1950s. But Pasolini – his biography and his work – was a living contradiction. A closeted homosexual expelled from the Communist Party for moral depravity and despised by fascists, he represented a highly personal vision of life and the world, at once Marxist and Catholic.

In his first film, at the age of 38, Pasolini chooses a cautious style, yet he boldly demands the physical and sensual arrogance of faces and gestures, both poetic and political. Here they are – mocking, pulling each other’s hair, stealing, laughing, and dying. But if you look closely, it is all a liturgy. A choir, the faithful, a ritual, a solemn word. It is the space of the unfortunate, the starving, the thieving pimps, yet also of free individuals who are mysteriously happy. A film that is raw, honest, and refined.

Stanisław Bardadin

Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975) was one of the most controversial and visionary filmmakers in European cinema. A poet, writer, and director, he fused stark realism with deep social critique. His The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) remains one of the most unique portrayals of Christ, while Teorema (1968) and Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) shocked audiences with their boldness. A fierce critic of conformity and bourgeois hypocrisy, Pasolini’s radical cinema continues to provoke discussion and inspire filmmakers worldwide.