March 12, 2025
Carla Hay
Directed by Paola Cortellesi
Italian with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place in Rome, from May to June 1946, the dramatic film “There’s Still Tomorrow” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: An abused housewife tries to get independence wherever she can around the same time that she gets a chance to exercise her right to vote.
Culture Audience: “There’s Still Tomorrow” will appeal mainly to people who are interested movies about feminism and civil rights during a time in a nation’s history when women gained the right to vote.
“There’s Still Tomorrow” is an absorbing drama that draws parallels between personal freedoms and voting rights, as told from an oppressed woman’s perspective in 1946. The movie’s touches of comedy work well in what is otherwise serious subject matter. The cast members give very good performances that make their characters believable, although some of the droll comedy might not be to some viewers’ liking.
Paola Cortellesi, who stars in the movie, makes her feature-film directorial debut with “There’s Still Tomorrow,” which Cortellesi co-wrote with Furio Andreotti and Giulia Calenda. “There’s Still Tomorrow” (which is entirely in black and white) had its world premiere at the 2023 Rome Film Festival. “There’s Still Tomorrow” takes place in Rome, from May to June 1946, and is told in mostly chronological order, with a few flashbacks.
The protagonist of “There’s Still Tomorrow” is a homemaker named Delia (played by Cortellesi), who makes some money by doing limited part-time work in the neighborhood, such as being a seamstress and doing home care assistance. The home care assistance includes doing laundry and injecting patients with medicine in places on their bodies where they can’t reach.
Delia is trapped in a terrible marriage where her husband Ivano (played by Valerio Mastandrea) physically, verbally and emotionally abuses Delia. Divorce isn’t really an option for someone like Delia in 1946. Divorce is taboo and too expensive for this working-class Roman Catholic family.
Delia and Ivano live with four other family members: Ivano’s disabled father Ottorino (played by Giorgio Colangeli) and the couple’s three children: outspoken Marcella (played by Romana Maggiora Vergano) is about 18 or 19; mischievous Sergius (played by Mattia Baldo) is about 11 or 12; and playful Franchino (played by Gianmarco Filippini) is about 7 or 8. Delia is the caretaker for Ottorino, who is frequently bedridden.
Ottorino not only approves of Ivano’s abuse of Delia, but Ottorino also encourages it. In the minds of these misgyonistic men, wives are supposed to be entirely submissive and accepting of whatever treatment they get from their husbands. Ivano acts like he has to constantly prove to his father that Ivano is a “real man,” based on how Ivano mistreats Delia.
The movie’s first scene gives an indication of the marriage that Delia and Ivano have. Ivano and Delia wake up one morning in bed. Delia cheerfully says, “Good morning.” Ivano’s response is to slap her hard across her face. Delia says nothing and goes about her day.
The domestic violence is not graphic in “There’s Still Tomorrow.” In other words, there are no scenes of Delia getting beaten up by Ivano. What’s mostly shown are the injuries that Delia gets after she gets beatings from Ivano. Her face sometimes has cuts, and there are bruises on parts of her body.
And what does Ivano do to contribute to the household income? Not much. He takes the money that Delia earns and decides what to do with it. At this point in time, finances are a big concern for this couple because Marcella (who also does some part-time work) is expected to get married and live with her future husband. And that means one less person in Ivano and Delia’s household who could earn money for the household.
Ivano has upwardly mobile plans for Marcella and will only approve of her marrying into a family that has more money than Ivano’s family. Marcella has been dating Giulio (played by Francesco Centorame), the son of an affluent family that owns a local ice cream parlor. Marcella is madly in love with Guilio and is getting anxious about when Giulio might propose to her. Ivano is anxious about it too because he wants to financially benefit from Marcella marrying into a well-to-do-family.
Delia is well-liked and respected in the community. Almost everyone who knows her is aware that she’s an abused wife, but they do nothing about it. This widespread complacency isn’t because the story takes place in 1946. It’s because domestic violence is more likely to be acceptable in cultures that teach men are superior to women, who are punished if they expect to be treated as equals to men.
To be clear: “There’s Still Tomorrow” is not a man-hating film that portrays all men as evil oppressors. There are several men in the film who treat Delia with kindness and respect. One example is Alvaro (played by Raffaele Vannoli), an amiable neighbor and a family friend. Delia does nice things for him, such as make sandwiches for Alvaro.
Nino (played by Vinicio Marchioni) is a car mechanic who dated Delia before she marred Ivano. Nino and Delia still have a strong attraction to each other. Their relationship ended because Nino went away and when he returned, Ivano had begun dating Delia and ended up marrying her. Delia often visits Nino at work, where they make lovey-dovey eyes at each other but don’t act on their attraction because Delia know she would become a social outcast if she committed adultery.
Delia makes an unexpected friend: an American soldier named William (played by Yonv Joseph), one of several Americans who have been assigned as military police patrolling the streets of Italy after World War II. Delia meets William on one of these streets when she finds a family photo that he accidentally dropped and notices that he’s looking for it. When she gives him the photo, William gives Delia a big hug and thanks her profusely. William explains that he hasn’t seen his family for quite some time, and this is the only photo he has of his family.
Later, on another, William notices a huge bruise on Delia’s shoulder. When he asks her about this injury, Delia doesn’t want to talk about it. Sensing that Delia is too afraid to name her abuser, William tells Delia that she can count on him if she ever needs any help. Delia takes William up on his offer, and he helps her with something unexpected. It’s a scene in which Delia makes a bold decision, in order to try and stop the cycle of abuse in her famliy.
Delia’s closest friend is Marisa (played by Emanuela Fanelli), who works as a grocer. Marisa know that Ivan abuses Delia, so Marisa encourages Delia to be more independent. Not surprisingly, Ivano doesn’t really lke Marisa, because he thinks Marisa is a “bad influence” on Delia.
Delia wants a close relationship with her daughter Marcella, but Marcella has grown somewhat distant from Delia because Marcella doesn’t respect Delia for putting up with Ivano’s abuse. Marcella is certain that she’s not as “weak” as Delia. Marcella tells Delia that Marcella would make a smart choice when it comes to choosing a husband.
“There’s Still Tomorrow” shows how Delia still mantains her dignity, even when she experiences indignities. At one of her jobs where she makes umbrellas, Delia finds out that a new male employee (played by Davide Di Vetta), who has less experience than Delia, is getting paid much more than Delia is for doing the same job. When Delia asks her male boss why this less-experienced employee is getting paid more than she is, the boss answers as if it’s the most acceptable answer in the world: “He’s a man.”
In 1945, Italy passed a law that gave women the right to vote. In 1946, women in Italy got to excercise this right vote in elections for the first time. Delia gets her voter registration documents in the mail. Ivano strictly forbids Delia to vote and threatens her with violence. Will she follow his orders or will she risk her safety by voting?
Cortellesi gives a terrific performance as Delia, who goes through a wide range of emotions during the course of the story. Even during Delia’s toughest times, she still manages to make room for some levity. Viewers will notice that Delia likes to make people laugh, even when she herself is suffering. Maggiora Vergano also does an admirable job as Marcella, whom Delia sees as reflection of Delia’s hope for the future.
In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, “There’s Still Tomorrow” shows the gender double standards that exist in society. Men are more likely to be excused for personality flaws, compared to women who might have the same flaws. Women who are mothers are especially expected to be “saintly,” patient and children-oriented at all times. These are impossible standards where men who are fathers usually don’t get judged as harshly if they don’t live up to these parental standards.
Beyond the acting performances, “There’s Still Tomorrow” is an overall well-made film in all technical aspects, especially the cinematography. It’s easy to see why “There’s Still Tomorrow” was a massive hit in Italy. “There’s Still Tomorrow” won six prizes at the 2024 David di Donatello awards ceremony (the Italian version of the Oscars): Best New Director; Best Actress (for Cortellesi); Best Supporting Actress (for Fanelli), Best Original Screenplay, the David Youth Award and the David Audience Award. Even though “There’s Still Tomorrow” takes place in 1946, the themes in the movie are relevant in a world where women are still fighting for equal rights.
Greenwich Entertainment released “There’s Still Tomorrow” in select U.S. cinemas on March 7, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on April 8, 2025. “There’s Still Tomorrow” was released in Italy on October 26, 2023.
