Review | There's Still Tomorrow (C'è Ancora Domani) (2023)

“Paola Cortellesi’s black and white comedy-drama, There’s Still Tomorrow, is a wonderful piece that showcases Italian Cinema brilliantly.”

The name of Paola Cortellesi isn’t one that will spring from the lips of the usual moviegoer. In fact, many people outside of Italy may not have heard of her. This is a travesty. Cortellesi debuted in the show business at the age of 13, as a singer for Cacao meravigliao, the jingle of the popular RAI TV show Indietro tutta! by Renzo Arbore. There’s Still Tomorrow or C’è Ancora Domani to give it its Italian title, is her directorial debut. To say the film is a revelation would be an understatement. It is a film that shows the world her talent and what she brings to the world cinema stage with great effect. Set in postwar 1940s Italy, it follows Delia breaking traditional family patterns and aspiring to a different future, after receiving a mysterious letter.

THOUGHTS

Any fan of cinema in general can’t help but be amazed and heartened by what Paola Cortellesi has achieved here. Not only does she star as Delia but she also dons the hat of the director as well as having a hand in the screenplay along with Furio Andreotti and Giulia Calenda. Make no mistake, Cortellesi’s fingerprints are all over the film. It works wonders. She has delivered a film that is funny, heartwarming and dramatic, with some scenes of domestic violence that should rightly shock the audience. The film won three prizes at the Rome Film Festival, the Nastro d’Argento of 2024. And is the most successful film at the Italian box office in 2023, as well as becoming the 9th highest-grossing film in the country. The thing is, the film deserves its success.

PAOLA CORELLESI AND VALERIO MASTANDREA

Paola Cortellisi is a revelation as Delia. The character is a housewife, trying to keep order in her home with two young sons causing havoc and a teenage daughter who resents her mother. She also has to deal with the domestic abuse she suffers at the hands of her husband, Ivano while also dealing with her father-in-law, who lives with the family and is bedridden. Despite all this, Delia is such a likeable character, one whose smile lights up a room and makes others around her happy to see her. Paola Cortellisi gives an incredible performance, one that is deserving of the awards the film has received. We want her to find happiness, we want her to be free of her despicable husband, who takes all the money she makes. You can’t help but fall in love with her throughout.

Valerio Mastandrea as Ivano is equally as good. Although he dominates every scene he appears in, he doesn’t overwhelm proceedings in our minds. Ivano is despicable, in every sense of the word. He rules his home with a rod of iron, refusing to bend for anyone or anything. He demands every penny his wife and teenage daughter make, thinking it is his due. While he doesn’t raise his hand to his daughter, he has Delia taking the punishment for anything he deems punishable.

Delia covers up for her children, taking the blows that rain down on her. Mastandrea is superb in his role. And the irony is not lost on us. One scene shows Ivano about to beat Delia. But instead of seeing him strike her, we instead watch a dance sequence between the pair. Suddenly, we like him a little bit. But the inference stands out during the scene. The pair are going through the same old song and dance routine as normal.

EMANUELA FANELLI AND ROMANA MAGGIORA VERGANO

Emanuela Fanelli plays Delia’s friend Marisa. And gives a wonderfully supporting performance along the way. Marisa is the kind of woman who takes no prisoners. If something needs saying, she’ll say it and damn the consequences. She has no fear of anyone, least of all Ivano, and is the strongest woman in the entire film. The actress is marvellous in her role, one minute the confidante and best friend, the next showing the world her spine of iron, unbreakable and strong. It is a performance that we don’t expect and one that raises the film up.

Romana Maggiora Vergano as Marcella, Delia’s eldest child is also incredible here. Marcella resents her mother, thinking she has no backbone, no fight inside her to stop the beating Ivano regularly visits upon her. Her determination to not end up like her mother perforates the film throughout. But we know deep down that she will inevitably end up in the same situation. Her fiancee Giulio (Francesco Centorame) starts off as being a charming, kind man. But later on, we witness the beginning of Giulio heading down the same path as Ivano, and indeed his own father, in forcing his will on Marcella and threatening violence if she doesn’t conform. Throughout her scenes in the film, Romana Maggiora Vergano holds our attention. And by the climax, we can’t help but like her.

THE SCREENPLAY

The screenplay by Paola Cortellesi, Furio Andreotti and Giulia Calenda is wonderful. The film is spoken mainly in the Romanesco dialect, with some minor phrases spoken in Italian and English. But it hardly matters. Everything that needs to be conveyed shines through. The script is witty, sometimes hard-hitting, emotional but ultimately uplifting. One plot thread that runs throughout concerns a mysterious letter that Delia receives one day while the whole family is out. We wonder about the contents, and why Delia is hiding it away. Is it a love letter from her long-time admirer Nino (Vinicio Marchioni) who wants her to run away with him? Could it be a letter that raises Delia’s hopes for the future? Or is it something that will take the audience by surprise, only to be revealed at the climax?

The plot and various subplots come at us from all angles throughout. The screenplay devotes the perfect amount of time to every strand it gives us. The scenes of violence are handled deftly, shocking us but never going too far. The dramatic scenes are handled with gentleness and understanding. While the comedy (and there is a lot of it) has us laughing out loud. The dialogue during these scenes is so witty, so cutting, that we can’t help but find ourselves laughing and smiling. And in some scenes, the dialogue takes us by surprise. The plot of the film is handled brilliantly, describing what Italy was like in the aftermath of the Second World War and the desire to rebuild and get back to a normal life. It results in a brilliant bundle for the whole audience.

There's Still Tomorrow

VERDICT

Paola Cortellesi’s black-and-white comedy-drama, There’s Still Tomorrow, is a wonderful piece that showcases Italian Cinema brilliantly. It takes a premise that is still prevalent today, and transports it back to 1946, delivering an interesting look at the past and the way Italian women were treated, not only by their husbands but by the leaders of the country as well. At times, it makes us angry at how and why the men thought it was perfectly fine to give their wives a beating for the smallest infraction. Things that are commonplace today, like dropping a plate by accident, are a catalyst for domestic abuse. It isn’t easy viewing at times, but it helps build up our hope that Delia will stand strong by the climax.

These scenes land in our laps at unexpected times. But they are eased by sequences that have us smiling, laughing and enjoying the happier scenes we are afforded. One long sequence has us in the palm of its hand as we want something to happen, only for it to be foiled at every turn. Our frustration is distilled by the humour that permeates the sequence, making the film that much richer. It won’t be for everyone, but it would be a huge shame for people to miss the film. Rich in characterisation, funny, moving, dramatic, and uplifting, it heralds a woman’s spirit and her desire to rise above the treatment she receives from those she loves. Forget the usual schmaltz we are served up, this is brilliant cinema. Something that comes out of nowhere every now and again and surprises us all. Paola Cortellesi… BRAVA!!