There's Still Tomorrow (2023) User Reviews

Pretty, entertaining and thematically relevant

[Dello_ · 8/10 · 6 November 2023]

"C'è ancora domani" is a very pretty film set in a post-WW2 Rome that centers around Delia and her family composed by two young children, a daughter who is about to engage, a violent husband and his father. Thematically the core of the movie is the treatment reserved to women in that era, which is still a significant discussion nowadays because though better than in the 40s' the issue is not solved at all. What I particularly liked about this discussion is the tone because it's not too dark allowing everyone to appreciate the movie and receive the message, but at the same time it's not too light thus avoiding to lose its impact. An example of this which I think was very effective is the treatment of the domestic violence scene that is depressing but there's a gimmick that lightens it while creating a bittersweet contrast. Furthermore the movie has more jokes than what I expected and it relies on a versatile cast able to be dramatic and comedic at the same time. However, even if properly done in most of the instances, few laughs were audible through the theatre because they are more tension reliefs than actual wanted funny moments. And also the final twist is pretty good. The movie did an excellent job in creating a narration that leads to something to then shift towards something else in an elegant way. There are few things that could have been better, in particular the final part of the engagement storyline which I think went outside of the overall tone, but in general they don't compromise too much the final result.

In conclusion I think that "C'è ancora domani" is a film everyone should watch for two reasons. The first one is related to the messages conveyed, while the second one is also pretty relevant: it's a good movie that will entertain all audiences for almost two hours. And this is not a small thing at all.

Great debut as a director.

[eleonoraantonacci · 9/10 · 29 October 2023]

Ill start saying that an applaude rose spontaneously in the theater at the end of the movie. Everyone one was super emotional, I believe each of them for different reasons. Mine is that the movie depicted perfectly the status of women just right after the end of 2WW and the challenges they had to face in everyday life. Something that feels so far way from now, but still not so far away considering all the injustices women nowadays have to live with in every aspect of their life.

Well, the protagonist tries really hard for find a balance dealing with a violent husband, multiple jobs, 3 children and an annoying father in law, but she also surrounds herself with good friends and women with strong personalities.

The pace of the film Is entertaining, great comedy moments, costumes very on point, and the use of the camera very intelligent (at one point, I even recognize an angle that reminded of a famous painting of the Mantegna , the Cristo Morto) Beautiful selection of music as well.

But honestly what really made the film great and emotional, is the finale. It's worth going to the cinema to watch this movie just for this reason.

Obviously I'll not spoiler anything, but be ready to say: wow , what a great debut from Paola Cortellesi.

A debut with ok concept and great execution

[slzoras · 7/10 · 12 November 2023]

Paola Cortellesi is extremely talented, both as an actress and a comedian. Now we can also add directing to her resume. This movie has issues, but the undeniable truth is that it's very lovable. The main character is very sympathetic, simple on a psychological level but nonetheless believable. The other standout of the movie is Emanuela Fanelli, who could probably improve every movie she's in at this point. The movie succeeds in creating a lot of tension. There's a specific control of space (the main character moving through the same places every day) that adds a sense of intimacy, of smallness of the world, and at the same time of claustrophobia when Delia (the protagonist) feels trapped in it. An excellent control of tension. Conflicts that would seem small actually appear big and important because of it. The way things all of a sudden become surreal and movie-like help us enter the mind of the character. The best scene in the movie incorporates a weird mix of lighting, camera, choreography and anachronistic in a weird creepy way that I never really see in Italian cinema these days. I would call this movie quirky, nostalgic and heartfelt. An impressive directorial feat.

Now the issues: the concept of the story is not bad, but it's also a bit superficial in tying the personal with the political. The character of the young son-in-law takes a weird behavioral shift that doesn't feel natural. The movie can't fully decide whether to be psychological (where the reality is a grotesque reflection of Delia's psyche) or realistic (where other non-main characters, even villains, actually have depth and believability). The Vinicio Marchioni character is pointless and honestly feels like a mere plot device, a misdirect. There's a moment where two characters who speak different languages all of a sudden understand each other for no reason other than to move the plot. Also the bait-n-switch at the end is weird for a number of reasons, and goes in an unforeseeable direction that feels more like Cortellesi preaching at the audience directly than anything character related. And lastly, the music: some songs worked, but the choice to incorporate music with various degrees of anachronism makes the movie feel fake, like we're not actually watching a period piece but a director toying with an aesthetic to make a point. And that undermines the sincerity of the whole thing.

That's it, that's all I have to say. Movie is good, it's fun, it's tense, it's sad, it's creepy. An outlier in the current Italian cinema landscape.

I hope it makes it to the Oscars

[morgenstern_88 · 10/10 · 9 December 2023]

This movie is perfect in so many ways and I hope it will win everything it can win, from the bottom of my heart. I haven't seen such a beautiful Italian movie in so long. And to think it's Paola Cortellesi's first movie as a director and co-writer makes it even more special.

It is amazingly written, directed and acted. It's brave, powerful, original and you NEED to watch it. It tells a dramatic story with bittersweet tones, keeping it extremely real and revolutionary.

I am Italian so I could obviously understand all the homages and nuances, however I am sure an international audience will appreciate this little gem in a whole.

Go watch it and you won't regret that.

An excellent debut

[frizzardi · 9/10 · 29 November 2023]

This is Cortellesi's first movie as a director, and I cannot wait to see the next one!

I can hardly find any faults in this movie; it drags you into post-war Rome from the very first scenes, putting the black and white to good use.

Acting is top notch starting from Cortellesi herself, to Mastandrea's portrayal of an abusive husband, to Colangeli as the obnoxious grandfather.

A special mention goes to Vergano as the daughter - she is much more expressive than many botoxed Hollywood stars, and can speak volumes with her eyes.

There are a few laughs - sometimes bitter ones - even if this is far from being a comedy; the story is well written and the dialogues are crisp.

I didn't foresee the twist at the end of the movie, even if Cortellesi dropped plenty of hints, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I highly, highly recommend this movie. Brava Paola!

Great performance, forced storyline

[francescabalzani-26183 · 7/10 · 13 April 2024]

I will start by saying that I really love Paola Cortellesi, she is one of the finest Italian actresses of these times, capable of offering the greatest laughs and the most bitter tears, thanks to her versatile acting skills.

This happens throughout this film too. She is Delia, a middle-aged woman who lives with her husband, three children and her nasty father-in-law in terribly harsh conditions. She struggles to make ends meet and to sustain her family, while suffering domestic abuse and dreaming of a past love. When her daughter gets engaged to the son of the local café owner, she senses that her she risks embarking in a life of strain and violence, just like hers.

I loved the performances in this film: Paola Cortellesi, Vittorio Mastandrea (one of my favourite actors), Giorgio Colangeli and Emanuela Fanelli. The use of black and white was clever, as it gives the film a poetic look. I also appreciated the bittersweet scenes: tragedy mixed with comedy.

Nevertheless I wouldn't call this a masterpiece as I thought the storyline was a bit forced, especially with the final surprising end, which seems a bit too detached from the rest of the film...

Great cinema!

[ikgoumas · 10/10 · 17 December 2023]

This is a masterpiece, a surprise because unexpected. Brilliant story based on true events, but full of symbolisms and deeper meanings that are all connected on the final scenes of the movie. Great directing and acting by Cortelesi, but also great choice of the characters and performancefrom the other actors. The women's universe in Italy back then was complicated and the road to the recognition of their rights was full of obstacles, with many dramatic stories happening. The movie manages also to be ironic and there are moments you laugh. Then suddenly it becomes dramatic again and you want to cry. Then you bacome angry. All these fluctuations are captivating, meanwhile represent the reason why Paola manages to give a powerful message through the art of cinema.

Overvalued movie

[fra_co00 · 6/10 · 7 March 2024]

First of all it must be specified, because this seems really necessary, that this is neither a neorealist movie nor, so to speak, some kind of revival of neorealism, but more simply an attempt to imitate the neorealist atmosphere and setting obviously with all the flaws that imitations can have.

That being said, it must be said that the direction is quite precise and neat, plus the cinematography is particularly noteworthy. Unfortunately, the acting, particularly of the protagonist who is also the director dealing with her first work behind the camera, appears excessively mannered and stereotyped, unnatural and with an excess of facial expressions that emphasizes how everything in reality is merely pure cinematic fiction (and rather didactic too, I might add). All the opposite of what true neorealism was, which was based on acting that was meant to appear as spontaneous as possible, so much so that as a rule amateur actors were widely used, and without the addition of various artifices or caricatures.

The screenplay could also have developed better, rather than focusing almost obsessively on the continuous repetition of stereotypes linked to the condition of women in those times, domestic violence, and the gender disparity that transcended belonging to different social classes. Obviously this complaint is more than laudable, but wouldn't it have been even more useful to the cause to further develop the description of the condition of women rather than limiting the entire movie to beatings, lower wages, shut up and obey?

The setting is the historical period in which in Italy the referendum was held to choose, as soon as the Second World War ended, between the monarchy and the republic with women obtaining the right to vote for the first time in this period. And all the historical references end here, except for a very brief reference to the "illegal market" and someone who "sold" people to the Germans.

The protagonist, symbol of all women who seek to free themselves and emancipate themselves, is torn between whether or not to leave her violent husband and the entire family to move to the north together with an old love of hers, but emancipation also consists in expressing the right to vote for the first time by going to vote in the referendum. And the ending in practice does not reach full completion, but probably this was intended to indicate that a step has been taken with the obtaining of the right to vote, but the road to the complete emancipation of women is still very long as unfortunately today's daily news still confirms.

Great debut 👏👏👏

[simonettazezza · 8/10 · 1 November 2023]

Very interesting debut: a mix of comedy (one-liners), drama (domestic violence), romance (love and friendship). The correct ingredients for a wonderful result. Rome in black & white appears too be a little "didactic", like a good "copy" of old times (just after the 2WW), but pleasant and very faithful to the original one. Delia is a woman like many others, in a common enough situation in those days. The final twist, which slowly makes its way, amazes and exalts the viewer. A spontaneous applause rose at the end of the movie, in a suburban cinema, in Rome. The same Rome that Paola Cortellesi makes us regret.

Interesting with a touch of anachronism

[dierregi · 7/10 · 5 April 2024]

Fitting nicely into the contemporary crave for female narrative about female characters, the film tells the story of Delia, a colourless housewife stuck in a bad marriage with brutal Ivano, in post-WWII Rome.

Delia and her family (three kids and Ivano's father) live in large, albeit probably unsanitary apartment in a low-income part of Rome. Paola Cortellesi who's the director and also plays main character Delia, chose to film in black & white, but there end the neo-realistic vibes.

The tone of the movie is light, even if it touches heavy topics, such as violence, greed and disrespect towards women. Cortellesi leads you down an easily discernible red herring path, towards an ending that it is not so much a wrap up of the story, but more of a slightly patriotic wishful thinking.

The choice of the soundtrack is debatable, being it extremely anachronistic and slightly irritating with its trying very hard to appeal to the younger audience.

However, an interesting moving with a decent plot.

The perfect movie

[minder-77155 · 10/10 · 29 January 2024]

I hate going to the cinema, especially when I know I risk finding so many people inside the hall. I hate that because people are noisy and annoying. It seems impossible not to use the smartphone during the screening, not to comment with friends, not to move continuously on the seat, not to eat crunchy things, not to cough or sneeze, not to steal the armrest of the person close to you.

For me the cinema it's a sort of war scenario.

I hate the cinema but I love it too, so sometimes I take the risk and go to war.

I already knew Paola Cortellesi as an actress, and, sorry for this, I think she was not a good one. IMHO she did better when she was a comedian. I already knew Valerio Mastandrea too, he's a good comedy actor... and when one says "comedy actor" he is not saying "actor".

What can I expect from this movie if not another negative experience with my seat neighbors and a modest interpretation from these two comedians?

And instead, sometimes, the cinema does what it should do: magic!

During the screening, people start to pay attention, for real, start to literally sink into the movie.

The black and white film throws us all in another dimension, in a past era, in our grandparents' world. A poor, dirty, harsh, primitive, retrograde, sexist world. But it is the world from where we all come, so, in a sense, we already know it.

And we start to feel the characters.

Paola becomes Delia.

Sorry Valerio, for me you won't be nothing else then Ivano for the rest of your career.

Every single actor is credible, tridimensional, real.

All of us viewers simply stop to be alive, we are in the movie now.

We start to laugh, to cry, to stop breathing in perfect timing with the scenes.

Until the end... when the images go out.

The cinema hall is completely silent.

We freeze for a moment, realizing we are again in the real world.

We are astounded, beaten, emotionally exhausted.

And then the applause started. My first experience with spontaneous applause in a cinema hall outside of the movie festivals. The cinema was empty of pop-corn eaters, coughers, and smartphone users, not cinephiles, but everyone knows that something special has just happened: we've just attended a perfect movie, a masterpiece.

Brava Paola.

A neo neo realist movie

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 18 April 2024]

"C'e ancora domani" is a neo neo relealist movie. The film is situated in Italy just after the Second World War and is (beautifully) shot in black and white.

In the films of the neo realist movement in Italy (directors such as Roberto Rossollini, Vittorio De Sica and the early Luchino Visconti) the first theme was poverty and the second theme (if it was a theme at all) was the role of women in society.

"C'e ancora domani" is first of all about the position of women (main character Delia (played by director Paola Cortelessi herself) is frequently beaten by her patriarchal minded husband Ivano (played by Valerio Mastandrea)) and the poverty theme is a remote second (but definitely is a theme).

Apart from being a tribute to the neo realist movement (with themes reversed) "C'e ancora domani" adds a few elements, although not all of them successful. I will mention a couple of them.

The most successful element are in my opinion the revealing or surprising plot twists. In one revealing scene Delia finds out that the boyfriend of her daughter starts being bossy as soon as the two are engaged. The curse of machismo threatens to transcend generations. Another couple of revealing scenes show how the authority of Ivan melts like snow in the sun when Ivano is alone with his old father. Surprisng is the way Delia ultimately rebels against Ivano in the last scene of the film.

There ars some comic scenes too. In one scene Ivano beats his wife Delia again. The violence becomes rhythmic and turns into a sort of "dance macabre". This scene is in my opinion quite successful. I appreciated much less the scene in which Delia flirts with her childhood love, both showing very rotten teeth. Teeth that recover miraculously in the rest of the movie.

The main defect of the movie is however exaggeration. This exaggerarion makes the message not stronger but weaker. In the first scene of the movie Ivano beats Delia just because she says "Good morning". Why?

In an interview director Cortelessi said that she was very happy that in Italy the film was not only a success but half of the visiters were men. I cannot report such a gender mix from the Netherlands, although my observations are limited to my own visit. I was the only man in the room. Maybe this was also due to the fact that I visited the wednesday afternoon performance.

Interesting but shallow

[pekinezer · 5/10 · 27 April 2024]

The premise of this movie seems interesting but it falls short by executing all the dots of the modern inclusive and gender critical fads. Instead of dealing with poverty and ignorance as a heritage of class oppression it puts it as something that can be remedied by wishfull thinking. All the indigenous males are depicted as by nature predatory and misogynistic, but it is just a anacronistic oversimplification of relations in a family overcome with poverty. It also completely negates that historically this family would not be such a nuclear family of parents, two or three kids and a grandparent without much more diverse relations with cousins, aunts etc. It feels like a projection of a modern reduced and alienated family to a wrong place in temporal continuum. I mean that maybe it could work for that times contempory upper middle class, but making this story in lower class or lumpenproletariat just feels plastic. I don't know, for me it just seems like a denigration of the exploited with added touch of saintly other in the role of black american soldier. It fails as a memento to incredible legacy of italian neorealism. The true keepers of this legacy can be found in iranian movies like Baran or Children of heaven. English is not my native language so excuse me for strange syntaxes.

Perfection

[liavaroli · 10/10 · 1 April 2024]

This movie is a masterpiece, acting, screenplay, direction, photography, music. All perfect. Everyone should see it because this movie will remain in the history of cinema.

Mass phenomenon in its country of origin, Italy, becoming the most watched film in the last 9 years in the country, beating Barbie and Oppenheimer in 2023.

Paola Cortellesi's first work, it doesn't seem like a first work given so much mastery in this movie. It is no coincidence that the director took 2 years to make it and it can be seen from the attention that Cortellesi put into the details.

Costing 5 million euros, it grossed 40 in Italy and almost 2 in France.

Very Touching

[roberto-mm · 10/10 · 4 January 2024]

A truly meaningful film. It portrays a naked and raw mirror of Italian society in that specific historical period. Best performance in Paola Cortellesi's career who portrays a strong and determined woman who in her own way tries in a resilient way to carve out her own space. Excellent performance also for Valerio Mastrandrea who portrays a harsh and violent husband. Film that I hope will be shown in all schools. Probably some dialogues could have been handled better as well as the episode of the American military policeman. Overall in Italian cinema it remains a unique work of its kind that I appreciated very much.

There's Still Tomorrow

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 1 May 2024]

This reminded me of one of those beautifully photographed post-war Vittorio De Sica stories with Sophia Loren. This time, it's the long suffering "Delia" (Paola Cortellesi) who is marred to the brutish "Ivano" (Valerio Mastandrea) and lives with their three children and her ailing father-in-law. The love has long since departed their marriage, and a few fleeting conversations with struggling garage-owner "Nino" (Vinicio Marchioni) fills us in on a bit of her own romantic backstory before she met "Ivano". Their elder daughter "Marcella" (Romana Maggiora Verano) is sweet on "Giulio" (Francesco Centorame) who's the son of a local and rather pompous café owner and his wife. "Delia" suspects, though, that any marriage between the pair would merely end up mirroring her own so resorts to some quite ingenious Sicilian tactics before focusing on the one thing that might offer her some sense of individual fulfilment. With the brutality becoming ever more regular, we see a woman who is resorting to desperate measures - but what exactly is she trying to achieve? What's striking about this is the way the violence is portrayed. The kids are always removed from the room and then it's a dance. Almost as if it were being portrayed on stage - and it's entirely effective. Cortellesi directs this too, but avoids falling into that trap of losing objectivity with her impassioned storytelling. It's the variety and spirit of the characters that offer us a touching look at family and community set against a backdrop of extreme chauvinism, political tensions and a little dark humour too. The monochrome presentation works really well and this really is worth a watch in the cinema if you can.

neorealism meets hip hop

[dromasca · 8/10 · 29 December 2023]

'C'è ancora domani' (2023 - English title is 'There Is Still Tomorrow') is a directorial debut but it does not look at all like one. It can be said that it is also an author's film, because the director is also the co-author of the script and also undertakes the main role. Paola Cortellesi is in Italy a household name, actress and singer, nominated and winner of numerous awards, especially as a singer. With this film, feminist plea and homage to post-war Italian neorealism, Paola Cortellesi has a good chance to add some new awards in other categories. The film is already the biggest box-office success of Italian cinema since the pandemic.

Delia and Ivano are a poor couple in Rome in the years after World War II. Italy is occupied by American troops. Hope can be felt in the air after the defeat of fascism. The first democratic elections are approaching, but the economic conditions are very difficult. Ivano works, but the couple needs to take care of a sick father and three children, of which Marcella, the eldest daughter, is approaching the age of marriage. Marcella (at the cost of dropping out of school) and Delia are forced to work to supplement their income. They are not a happy family. Delia's efforts are not appreciated by Ivano, a violent and vulgar man who becomes even more dangerous when he gets drunk. When Marcella is about to get engaged to the son of a rich cake shop owner, things seem to be looking up, but is this boy the right choice? Isn't Marcella also at risk of being chained into a marriage dominated by a controlling man? Delia dreams of running away, perhaps with Nino, the unfulfilled love of her youth. The meeting with an American soldier who, despite the language barrier, understands her and agrees to help her at a critical moment, as well as the advice and complicity of a friend seem to hasten the moment of liberation. But fate also has something to say.

The opening scene already tells us that we are dealing with a special film. Paola Cortellesi shoots in black and white, which is obviously a hommage to American neorealist cinema. The streetscape, the interior of the houses, the clothing of the characters are accurately reconstructed. And yet, from time to time, the rhythm of the story is broken by directorial interventions that want to be as visible as possible: slow-motion footage; dance or mime scenes in which the feelings of the characters and the relationships between them are expressed through the expressions of human bodies and not through dialogues; finally the soundtrack in which are interspersed songs completely out of sync with the era, from light Italian music to new contemporary hip hop. This last trick is the most debatable: it certainly makes the film more interesting, but it seems to put directorial concept in the foreground. Such a decision is dangerous in a melodrama, be it a social one, because it risks killing the emotion. The actors fulfill their missions precisely, starting with Paola Cortellesi in the lead role, continuing with Valerio Mastandrea in the unsavory role of Ivano and Romana Maggiora Vergano who is beautiful and expressive in the role of Marcella. The ending places the whole story in a larger context, which of course will please all feminists - women and men, myself included. This meeting between neorealism and hip hop results in one of the most interesting European films of 2023, a film that we may meet again in the awards season of 2024.

A quite good movie

[francescaniutta · 8/10 · 9 November 2023]

In this film is represented the history of the fight for gender equality. No room for tears despite the dramatic subject . Director Paola Cortellesi chooses black and white for her debut feature film thus evoking images from Italian Neorealism while matching as close as possible the period in which the story is set. There are no scary scenes but the drama unfolds under the constant thread of physical and psychological abuse. In order to avoid any unpleasantness every violent moment is turned into a figured dance. Italian women, in this movie, are mainly mothers worried about the future of their daughters and every choice Delia takes is aimed to improve her daughter future life: rather than lingering in plans of personal revenge she indulges in dreams of a better future for the whole female gender. Many funny moments give levity to the drama and tragedy gives way to humour.

Paola Cortellesi 's way makes us laugh of this sad period of our history and yet no unpleasant detail is omitted.

It was a great debut!

Best movie in a long time.

[hoogmeulen-08540 · 8/10 · 31 March 2024]

Great film about the hard life of an Italian mother of three, in 1946 with the Italians struggling to recover from the war and their mistakes. Even the pasta is short. As in not available. The daughter wants to marry a son of a bar owner, considered a step up. The diner where the two families meet is a hilarious scene. You constantly wonder how long Delia is going to put up with her aggressive husband, his complaining father she has to take care of. She scrapes the money together, enjoys solidarity from female friends, who cheer when they assume she finally has started an affair. She indeed has two silent admirers, but the ending is not what you would expect it to be. Shot in black and white but a very daring and warm movie, with great music too. From sweet Italian pop to hiphop.

Extraordinary directorial debut por Paola Cortellesi (also awesome as actress and writer) in a brilliant film about women

[guisreis · 10/10 · 9 December 2023]

Remarkable directorial debut for Paola Cortellesi, who also stars in the leading role and writes this Italian black and white dark humor comedy about a woman in Post-War. Her character, Delia, lives in poor conditions, dealing with daily misogynous from her harsh husband, his bankrupted and dishonest father-in-law, her boss... Indeed, it is about the role of woman in then Italian society (and actually something similar could be found elsewhere and still today). Delia in is constrained in chosing her own life, whareas she shall work a lot, in various places, jobs, at home and outside. Indeed, it is a great film about what is work and about how much women have been working, including outside formal jobs. Marcella's future seemed no very different from her mother's present. It is not only about work, as Cortellesi potrays very delicately and deeply how each woman is unique, with her own lost dreams and not always desired realities. Discussions only a sensitive woman was supposed to do so competently. Misogynist violence (the husband who also makes everyone eles to leave the room in order to beat his wife) is portrayed in a serious way, but also with am atmosphere which is tense and light at once, a contradictory but successful outcome that is only possible because of the innovative narrative strategies used by Cortellesi. Contrast between classes, the different impact the war caused in people's lives (there are those who became psychologically ill, or that use it as excuse for bad behaviour, and there are those who became richer by scheming), recurrent male impositive behaviour. Cortellesi has a great work in her multiple tasks here. Her direction is perfect, with good pace, beautiful cinematography, good coordination of the space and extras, with all actors and actresses performing very well. Her performance is particularly sucessful, with shades, strength, smoothness. The script is very sophisticated in the way it connects situations and how things go on. Dialogues and situations are sharp and funny, and the plot twists in the last third part are also very good. The powerful and moving ending is very symbolic.

Excellent debut! 8.5

[giacomoforgione · 8/10 · 9 January 2024]

There are so many great aspects to this film, starting from a very precise depiction of 40s Italian families, moving on to the scene where they danced symbolising a toxic love which was the standard back in the days where all men where playing the machist role and concluding with a very powerful scene, where the daughter finally understands why the mother was letting everything and everyone step on her head and it was only for the love of her kids, which she didn't wanna leave with the tyrannical father.

In addition to all of this, the sarcasm is fantastic, Mastandrea and Fanelli are stunning in their roles such as the director/actor of the film and the Italian soundtracks are amazing!

An engaging and well-told story

[gio_malv · 8/10 · 10 November 2023]

The film describes the life of a lower middle class family in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Rome, just after the liberation of the capital. We have the husband ( Valerio Mastandrea ), the wife Delia ( played by Paola Cortellesi ), the father of Delia's husband and father-in-law ( Giorgio Colangeli ), we have a grown-up daughter, perhaps eighteen ( Romana Vergano ), who is unusually mature for the age and with a strong and determined character, we then have 2 young children aged 7/8, full of life and healthy selfishness, carefree, who are always playing. There are also neighbors gossiping in the courtyard where they sit to chat and do small jobs

Almost the entire first part of the film is dedicated to describing Delia, the mother of the family, who is always active: she gets up first and prepares breakfast for everyone; she then goes for injections, she does some sewing and mending work, she makes her own clothes at home, works in an umbrella factory, then she goes shopping, and prepares lunch.

However, we don't know much about the husband, for example we don't know his profession, we only know that he enters the house to criticize or beat his wife, then goes out and goes to have fun with friends at the bar, or elsewhere

I really liked the description of neighborhood life, for example you see Delia walking on a wide sidewalk and as she walks you see many other activities that are carried out outdoors: for example we have people cutting hair, or shaving, people selling baskets of flowers, people doing small jobs or small repairs. The description of the environments and the climate of those years is perfect and thanks also to the "black and white" the film recalls and is linked to the neorealist tradition of post-war Italian cinema

Scenes of violence within the home are always announced as thunder announces a storm; in this case children are removed, the windows are closed and the curtains are drawn, a sort of isolation is created, and then a dance begins between the husband and wife filled with acts of violence towards the woman. The slow motion ballet makes the scene grotesque and tries to represent the gesture in a less brutal way, which however remains extremely serious.

The "clue" scene is the invitation of the future in-laws to an official lunch; the tone of the narrative always remains very light and comical "gags" are often included, for example the scene of the meatballs being hard and almost inedible for the future son-in-law's family

In conclusion, a lower middle class family on the outskirts of Rome in the post-war period is described; with great realism, rather than thinking or talking about politics, this family thinks above all about scraping together the means of sustenance; I think the choice by the Italian ruling class of those years to avoid extremist turns and to try to recreate a nucleus of national cohesion was very wise They were restless years, people often kept their weapons from the civil and partisan war and there was a strong tendency to take justice into their own hands; at the same time there was the disintegration of the institutional apparatus, of the police and public order forces whose functions were carried out by American soldiers; however, there was also a great desire to do, to rebuild and improve, a great desire for freedom, peace, hope for a better future. In that same period and still in Rome, Rossellini filmed "Roma, open city" on the last acts of the Nazi occupation in Italy; there were no means of public transport such as buses and rail connections were poor; the grain, the main source of sustenance, had to arrive by ship from the United States and was stored in port silos, in the cities many houses had been destroyed, the streets were full of rubble and many people lived in wooden shacks

The empathy that the spectator feels towards the female character, that is Delia, is remarkable and the emotional involvement in the story is pleasant; we have the pleasure of witnessing the reconstruction of a period of our history and above all, an extremely positive fact, it is the images that tell the story, as it must be when the expressive medium is cinema.

Comedy and seriousness blended into one

[Sillyreviews · 9/10 · 10 April 2024]

This is the best film I have seen so far in 2024. The cinematography is amazing, the jokes are on point, and the topic makes it interesting.

This film takes place in Rome, a couple of years after World War 2. It is about a woman who is married to an abusive husband and that lives in a deeply misogynistic and unequal world. And how she goes and other women go about that.

The film is filled with comedy, which makes it easier and more attention grabbing, while not losing the seriousness of the topic and being drawn into the world that she lives in. You can feel for the character seeing the hardships that she goes through, which sometimes can make you almost feel sick to your stomach. Which is then followed by a comedic scene about the misogynistic world where she lives in.

The balance between comedy and seriousness is very good. The seriousness is put into the comedy but in a way that you can laugh about it, although it might be a painful and awkward laugh.

The cinematography is of world class, every shot is beautiful. No shot feels wrong or wrongly timed and every shot could be a picture in its own right almost. The black and white makes that only makes that more apparent.

I would highly recommend you to watch this film. You wont regret it, it is one of the best ways to fill 2 hours of your day even when you are busy.

Incredible drama

[martinpersson97 · 10/10 · 30 January 2024]

This festival winner is, indeed, without a doubt one of the better films of the year, and yet another incredible start to this great movie season indeed.

The actors all do an incredible job, very dramatic, emotional, yet with a humorous flair to it. All of this accompined by an incredible script, very subtle, unique and unconventional - incredible writing and pacing, and all around a career defining affair.

The cinematography, cutting and editing is stellar, and the black and white style very much adds to the tone of the film, very unique and beautifully put together.

Overall, definitely a masterful achievement, and one that is highly recommended for any lover of film!

A recent film who looks old

[tymeolehut · 8/10 · 18 March 2024]

This film is really good and he has a great subject. I like the black&white effects who gives the ideas the film was realised before the first colour film. The scenario uses euphemism for the violence and it's cool to see how they use this for us to understand the action of ivano. It's cool to see how Italians speaks in the original language and how they speaks with their hands. In this film we see how the women lives just after the Second World War II and how they obtain the vote right. The message of this film is really important and we can think about the life conditions of the women in this era.