Antonioni's documentary, his very first work made in 1943 but released only in 1947, "Gente del Po" ("People of the Po Valley") tells about the daily routine of poor fisherman and their families who live and work near the River Po. It's just that basically. The intriguing aspect of the film is that although using of real people in it instead of actors the director preferred to reconstruct events in a fictionalized way, inspired by the current Neo Realism but instead of making a feature film Antonioni explores the acting talents of the local residents of the place. What's real and what's not? Hard to know.
I didn't find it much interesting or so important even though this is the first creation of the future master of classics like "Blow Up" and "L'Eclisse" but I did enjoyed his use of cinematography, very agile and incredibly beautiful for a film made more than 60 years ago, quite powerful even today - the boat going down the river and then later reaching the shore is the most memorable moment just as much the mother taking care of her sick child. Antonioni's talent is fully evident here but just a small step. 7/10