Antonioni’s second short, this is a more straightforward and observational piece. The camera is distanced and aside from a single obviously set-up moment seems more fly-on-the-wall than his first. It’s still impressively made, with good composition but there’s a lack of momentum here. It’s nice seeing Rome through the eyes of the street sweepers and their daily routines - early starts, eating, sleeping in the sun after a long day, are not without interest.

I'm at odds with most viewers, who seemed to have loved this. I agree Brendan Fraser's wonderful performance is pivotal so gets an extra star rating - it's genuinely sympathetic and not exploitative. And Aronofsky reins in some of his usual excesses. But the overlaboured cod-redemption theme and the script's clumsy way of rationing backstory to stretch out the proceedings felt forced. Sadie Sink runs the gamut of emotions from A to B (copyright Dorothy Parker) although Samantha Morton's relatively small role was very good.