Italian actress Paola Cortellesi he made his directorial debut with There will always be a tomorrowthis film is a sensitive portrait that shows, with resources drawn from comedy, drama and even musicals, the fight against patriarchy in impoverished post-war Italy. In Italy it surpassed Barbie and Oppenheimer’s tanks in number of viewers.
In the opening scene of the film, Delia (Paola Cortellesi, from Like a fish out of water AND Men against women) and her husband Ivano Santucci (Valerio Mastandrea, from Perfect strangers), are lying on the double bed. She greets him with a “Good morning” and her response is a resounding slap that she gives him for no reason. This surprising beginning will set the tone for the film Filmed in stunning black and white and set in 1946times when the Italian peninsula was sinking into poverty after the madness of the Second World War.
Delia’s family, in addition to her husband, is made up of three children, a teenager and two small children, plus a bedridden and grumpy father-in-law (Giorgio Colangeli, from Dinner, directed by Ettore Scola). Like so many at the time, they survived crammed into tiny basement rooms. The images refer to the neorealist classics they starred in Anna Magnani OR Sophia Loren.
Like those, the protagonist must face daily reality with courage in a Rome that tries to rise from the ashes. There are long lines in front of shops to buy pasta and American soldiers continue to patrol the streets.
But Delia has a routine close to servitude in which he has to cook with what little he gets, clean, take care of the elderly and get extra money with small gestures; from giving injections to mending underwear.
All under the severe and intolerant gaze of her spouse who never misses an opportunity to belittle and punish her. Any excuse is a good one and you have to put up with everything because, as he claims, she suffered the horrors of combat.
The family portrayed in “There Will Always Be Tomorrow”. A violent husband, who justifies his actions with the horrors of war.The neighborhood knows it
Everyone in the neighborhood knows what happens in that house, but no one dares to get involved. Patriarchal society was imposed and the women of the house had to remain silent and endure. The only moments of tranquility are with Marisa (Emanuela Fanelli), her friend who sells vegetables at the market, or when she meets Nino (Vinicio Marchioni, from the series The Lions of Sicilyby Paolo Genovese), the mechanic who was his youthful love.
When Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano, actress of Cabriniby Alejandro Monteverde), the eldest daughter, lets herself be seduced by Giulio (Francesco Centorame), the young son of the owner of an ice cream shop who has made a fortune who knows how, Delia will have hope in a better future for the girl and the memories of her youth in which he dreamed of another life.
Fortunately, Cortellesi, highly appreciated in her country for her career as a comedian and singer-double, is worthy heir of the best tradition of Italian cinema and does not stagnate in the history of suffering, sacrifice and gender violence. Instead, he adds poetic flight to scenes where punishment would be intolerable and transforms that domestic terror into a sort of choreography where the blow is suggested as if it were a grotesque dance.
It has a solid cast, even in the smallest roles, which exudes expressive nuances, especially in the looks, to say much more than the lines of an oiled and intelligent script that includes a welcome final twist linked to the democratic history of Italy. it should not be revealed.
Furthermore, it adds a welcome anachronistic soundtrack that fits perfectly with the plot and includes, for example, Lucio Dalla with your song An evening of miraclesmoving ballads by Achille Togliani and even hip hop songs. Ultimately, this is it cinema with a capital letterwhich escapes the usual formulas and sheds light on a terrible reality: every 72 hours there is a femicide in Italy.
A moment of relaxation Delia (Paola Cortellesi) with her friend Marisa (Emanuela Fanelli), in “There will always be a tomorrow”.File
There will always be a tomorrow
Qualification: Very good
Drama. Italy, 2023. 118′, SAM13. Original title: “There is still tomorrow.” Address: Paola Cortellesi. With: Paola Cortellesi, Valerio Mastandrea, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Emanuela Fanelli, Giorgio Colangeli, Vinicio Marchioni, Francesco Centorame and cast. Rooms: Cinépolis Recoleta and Houssay, Cinemark Palermo, Showcase Belgrano, Atlas Caballito, Patio Bullrich and Paseo Alcorta, Belgrano Multiplex.
Source: Clarin
