A life lived for others!

Europa '51 (Italian; 1952)
Director: Roberto Rosselini

I could never understand why my Aunt took upon herself to be the guardian of the homeless, the outcast and those shunned by their own families and society. I always thought that perhaps her only means of staying sane after going through a lot of upheavals in her life. Only at her funeral did I realise the extent her love touched so many hearts. In their books, she was a saint.
This week also saw the passing of Malaysia's Champion of the Oppressed. She was always considered a trouble maker by the powers that be and even managed to put her behind bars. The fruit of her work, however, was only seen during her wake. There was no world leaders or novelties to bade her farewell but the immigrants and the small men of the society, the very people she was fighting for.
This film acted beautifully by Ingrid Bergman during her exile days in Italy gives a possible explanation on why people do the things that they do.
Irene Girard (Ingrid Bergman) is enjoying her high society life as her wife to a successful industrialist in Italy. She enjoys playing a good hostess to her friends. They had just migrated from England after WW2 and things are looking bright in Italy. She is, however, concerned about her son who seem to constantly seeking her attention. She thinks, perhaps, it is due to all the mayhem that the family went through the bombardment of London in WW2. The son, Michele, yearns to talk to her but she brushes him aside.
One day, Michele has a nasty fall and fractures his femur. The doctor who treats Michele tells Irene that her son actually attempted suicide from his son's mumbling during administration of anaesthesia. A devastated Irene regrets her inaction earlier and decides to dedicate all her time with Michele. Unfortunately, Michele succumbed to a blood clots in his brain. Irene withdraws from everybody and goes into self imposed solitude in her bedroom.
Her family and friends try to get her on her feet again but in vain. Irene's husband's friend, Andrea, a unapologetic communist, convinces her that life has to go on just like a poor family that he knows that have a very sick child in his death bed. Having the same sensation that she had when she realised her mistake before her son died, she decided that she had to save the child. She took it upon herself to see to it that the child was treated and recovered. Soon she started caring for the poor families around the slump area of town. She becomes a beacon of hope to the poor.
One of the children of the family she was helping had robbed a bank and was on the run. Irene actually helped him escape when he was threatening his family with a gun. That got Irene in trouble with the law.
By that time, Irene's husband started suspecting that she was having an affair with Andrea. Her frequent disappearance from her home, loss of interest in her usual life, her fixation with the poor and their problems strained Irene's marriage.
Somebody suggested that her son's death could have pushed her to depression and institutionalisation may help.

Irene Fernandez (1946- 2014)

Interestingly, her answers to interview is misinterpreted by doctors, pastor and judge alike. The doctors think she is having delusion of grandiose to be the chosen one to save the downtrodden when she just wants to save children from death. The pastor, during his interview with Irene, tries to counsel her about the evils of extra-marital affair. She misinterprets his remarks by quoting the Holy Bible about no one is immune from committing sin. As if being defensive that Irene knew something wrong that he did, he withdraws from her case. The police and judge feel that she may be communist. Finally, everybody agrees that Irene should be institutionalised in the mental asylum.
Ingrid Bergman who acted in this movie during her exile years in Italy won her many accolades, deservedly.