More than a film, a social phenomenon: “There is still tomorrow”, a film which relaunched the debate on domestic violence in Italy, is released on Wednesday in France.
Lasting two hours, shot in black and white, this historical drama contradicted all predictions and became a huge success in the country.
It attracted nearly 4.4 million spectators in 2023, becoming the most viewed film of the year, ahead of “Barbie”.
Its director, Paola Cortellesi, a familiar face of television and cinema on the peninsula, plays the leading role, that of Delia.
This Roman housewife is subjected to a brutal and authoritarian husband, Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea), who does not hesitate to beat her.
The family struggles to make ends meet in immediate post-war Italy, when the country is part of the vanquished camp and attempts to turn the dark pages of fascism which left it in ruins.
While Italian women dream of finally obtaining the right to vote, Delia remains secluded within the four walls of her home, where she juggles the demands of her father-in-law, who no longer leaves his bed but tyrannizes the household, his two sons who already play strong-arms and his daughter Marcella.
When the son of a local bourgeois asks for Marcella's hand, Delia should be delighted: she has devoted her life to the hope that her daughter will have a "good marriage".
Will she dare to break the spell which, from generation to generation, enslaves women to their violent husbands?
Ode to emancipation
Among men, violence is “a type of education that is passed down from generation to generation.
We can say that each subject has their free will but, at the time, education was very significant,” underlines Paola Cortellesi in an interview with AFP.
“And it was also transmitted to women, who were educated with the idea that they were worth nothing,” she laments.
Between neorealism and Italian comedy, this ode to emancipation maintains the suspense until a surprising outcome, while avoiding the pitfall of the moral lesson.
“I wanted to tell the story of a woman who is not driven by desires” for emancipation, rewinds the director.
“His awareness is not a political journey but it is something instinctive.
She realizes that the patriarchal pattern will repeat itself, that her daughter will fall into the same trap as her.”
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The success of the film is “unexpected”.
“Clearly, the producers told themselves that it was going to be difficult but they believed in it,” says Paola Cortellesi, for whom this is the very first film as a director and screenwriter.
“I wanted to make a popular film, so I'm happy, but I think there aren't really any rules for success.”
Basically, “There's Still Tomorrow” is a love story “but not a classic one: the story of a mother's love for her daughter,” analyzes the director.
“There are still feminicides, violence”
Welcomed in Italy in numerous schools, which organized debates, the film had the honor of a screening last Monday in the Chamber of Deputies, before International Women's Rights Day on Friday.
The film had a particular resonance in this largely Catholic country, where gender stereotypes are very anchored and violence against women is very present.
According to a July 2021 government report, “in some regions, up to 50% of men believe violence is acceptable in relationships.”
An independent report from the Council of Europe on violence against women published in 2020 recommended the adoption of “proactive and long-term measures to promote changes in social and cultural behavior comparable to sexism, particularly among men and women. adolescents, which are based on the idea that women are inferior.”
An observation shared with regret by Paola Cortellesi: “There are still feminicides and violence, including among young people.
It is therefore a culture which is still transmitted, which remains alive, unfortunately”.