Open City established several of the principles of neorealism, depicting clearly the struggle of normal Italian people to live from day to day under the extraordinary difficulties of the German occupation of Rome, consciously doing what they can to resist the occupation.
Roma, città aperta estableceu varios dos principios do neorrealismo, amosando claramente a capacidade da xente normal de vivir cada día en condicións complicadas durante a ocupación alemá de Roma, facendo conscientemente o que podían para resistir a ocupación.