Germania Anno Zero (aka Germany Year Zero) (1948)

Set in post WWII Berlin, a 12 year old boy (Edmund Moeschke) struggles to survive in a city devastated by war and now occupied by the Allied forces. He lives with his ill father (Ernst Pittschau), sister (Ingetraud Hinze) and older brother (Franz-Otto Kruger) in a flat with three other families. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Having examined conditions in post WWII Italy in his previous films, Rossellini turns his eye to Germany. It's a disturbing and harrowing film that unflinchingly looks at how the aftermaths of war corrupt an innocent child. When released, it was a controversial film (it wasn't screened in Germany for four years) and divided critics but in the ensuing years, its reputation has only grown. Rossellini eschews sentiment and the film is gritty and honest and he keeps it close to the bone. The majority of the cast are unprofessionals (a practice I've never warmed to) but in this case, the absence of actual acting works.