Synopsis C’è ancora domani, directed by Paola Cortellesi
In post-war Rome, a city torn between its newfound liberation and the miserable aftermath of the war, Delia (Paola Cortellesi) is seemingly resigned to her traditional role of wife and mother. Her husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea) is the undisputed master of the family, he works hard to bring in the little money at home and never misses an opportunity to emphasize this, sometimes in scornful tones, other times, directly with his belt. He only respects his scoundrel father, Sor Ottorino (Giorgio Colangeli), an irate and despotic old man whose caregiver Delia is for all intents and purposes. Delia’s only relief is her friend Marisa (Emanuela Fanelli), with whom she shares moments of levity and a few intimate confidences. It is springtime and the whole family is in turmoil over the impending engagement of the beloved first-born Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano), who, for her part, only hopes to marry quickly to a good middle-class boy, Giulio (Francesco Centorame), and finally get rid of that awkward family. Delia, too, asks for nothing more; she accepts the life she has been given, and a good marriage for her daughter is all she aspires to. The arrival of a mysterious letter, however, will ignite her courage to overturn her predetermined plans and imagine a better future, not only for her.
Paola Cortellesi (Rome, November 24, 1973) is an Italian actress, comedian, screenwriter and director. Active in television and theater since the 1990s and in film since the early 2000s, after a brilliant career as a comic actress, she returned as a committed actress and director. She won the David di Donatello for Best Leading Actress for Nessuno mi può giudicare (2011), four Nastri d’argento, including the Nino Manfredi Award, a Golden Globe, three Flaiano Awards and three Golden Ciak. She has also won awards in the theatrical field, including an E.T.I. Gli Olimpici del Teatro Award.
Cortellesi has scripted some of the films she has starred in and finally made her directorial debut with the film C’è ancora domani (2023), winning three awards at the Rome Film Festival, the Nastro d’Argento for Film of the Year and five David di Donatello Awards. The work also won the Golden Ticket and became the ninth highest-grossing film in Italy.