Behind Closed Shutters


Behind Closed Shutters is a 1951 Italian crime-melodrama directed by Luigi Comencini and starring Massimo Girotti, Eleonora Rossi Drago, and Giulietta Masina. The film follows Sandra as she searches for her missing sister, venturing into the seedy underworld of Genoa.

Plot

In Turin, Sandra, the daughter of a caretaker, is engaged to Roberto, an employee at a construction company. Her sister Lucia has been estranged from the family after a relationship considered inappropriate. When a friend of Lucia's is killed and her body found in the Po River, Lucia, distressed, attempts suicide and calls Sandra for help.
Sandra turns to Edmondo, a man connected to prostitution circles, to locate her sister. Although he recognizes Lucia in a photograph, he does not disclose it. Lucia is in fact under the control of Primavera, a pimp. Edmondo hinders Sandra's efforts, and she is briefly arrested in a police raid after being taken to a nightclub. Following her release, Sandra makes contact with the group, who demand money in exchange for Lucia's release.
The film concludes with Lucia being freed after a confrontation in the port of Genoa.

Cast