Life is Beautiful Chronicles Love of a Father for his Son

Life is Beautiful is like two films in one. At first glance it is a comedy about a Jewish Italian man and a runaway car. Guido travels to Rome to work as a Waiter in his Uncle’s hotel and falls in love with the woman of his dreams. He wins over Dora, a schoolteacher, by calling her a princess. They marry even though Dora is engaged to another man. The film then skips ahead five years. In that time, Dora and Guido have a son which they name Joshua. 

The film then takes a surprising and heartbreaking turn when on Joshua fifth birthday, Joshua and Guido are kidnapped by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp. They are then followed by Dora who is desperate to keep them together. After the kidnapping, the film turns from a comedy to a struggle for survival. Guido then invents a game to protect his son. At the end of the film and later in life, Joshua learns how much his father loves him. 

Even though the film has some weaknesses, it is a true testament to the love that a father has for his son. In this film, the will of the human spirit to survive is constantly tested, but the love that Guido has for Joshua prevails and conquers all the obstacles placed before them. 

Rather then resign himself to work, Guido continues to use his imagination to help his son feel less afraid. True to his character, he invents a game of one thousand points. He tells Joshua that they are going to play a survival type game to win a real tank just like the toy he has for his birthday. Guido explains to Joshua that each “challenge” that happens in the film is just a competition to earn more points. Even when Joshua catches Guido struggling to hold rocks above his head, Guido just tells him that it is another challenge and that they are winning and are very close to one thousand points.