Pather Panchali (1954)

The first film in director Ray's acclaimed Apu Trilogy (which also includes APARAJITO and THE WORLD OF APU) shows Bengali life through the life of Apu, an Indian boy.

A boy named Apu is born to a poor but proud Brahmin family. His loving older sister, Durga, is a sweet girl, but has formed the bad habit of stealing fruit from an aunt's orchard, much to her mother's dismay. Their father Harihar, a poet and lay priest, finds a treasury job that will bring the family steady income for the first time in a while. For a brief period afterward, their mother, Sarbajaya, manages to make ends meet, and the children are left to their own devices and run freely. But when Harihar loses his position, he leaves his family to search elsewhere for work. He leaves them with depleted resources. In his absence, their condition deteriorates. Months later, Harihar returns to face the tragedy that forces them to leave their ancestral home. This acclaimed debut by Satyajit Ray is the first part of a trilogy of poetic, lyrical works.