Oscar® winner Anna Magnani (The Rose Tattoo) stars as a screen-struck mother, convinced that her daughter's star potential is her ticket to a better life, in a performance that Hollywood legend Bette Davis called "brilliant, uninhibited and full of volcanic, earthy power. " Risking everything in pursuit of her dream, Maddalena (Magnani) finally arranges a screen test for her child, only to realize the cruel reality beneath the shimmering veneer of the filmmaking industry.