La ragazza con la valigia

The young single mother Aida (Claudia Cardinale) quits her job as a singer and dancer in a third-rate orchestra in Riccione after the wealthy seducer Marcello promises to make her a star. Within a few days, he grows bored of their affair and leaves Aida standing alone with her suitcase. She sets off on foot toward his family’s mansion. After Marcello asks his brother Lorenzo (Jacques Perrin) to turn her away at the door, a fragile bond develops between Aida and the 16-year-old. LA RAGAZZA CON LA VALIGIA is a major work in Zurlini’s oeuvre: a film about loneliness, the status of women in society, and the insurmountability of class barriers.