The Bicycle Thieves is a simple tale of a working man in post war Italy. While it does not have a strong leftist message, focusing more on the individual struggle than the class struggle, it does an excellent job of portraying the misery of the proletariat. It truly illustrates how a man’s entire life can rely on something as simple as a bicycle. The desperation induced by the initial theft shows how poverty can impact an individual in the capitalist system.
You can watch it on HBO Max here:
It is also available for free with a participating library card at Kanopy: