The curtains of the theater open on a black-and-white portrait of post-war Rome. Locals lean on buildings, Allied soldiers patrol the streets; the city is quiet, holding its breath as it sits on the cusp of a change it can’t yet look in the eyes. This still life is finally shattered by Delia (Paola Cortellesi, “Do you know Claudia?”), a hardworking mother of three, hustling through the solemn streets.
“There’s Still Tomorrow,” also directed by Cortellesi, finds Delia right before the 1946 Italian Institutional Referendum — the first time women in Italy were able to vote — as she prepares for her daughter Marcella’s (Romana Maggiora Vergano, “Cabrini”) engagement and deals with her abusive husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea, “Feeling Better”). As the matriarch of a working-class family, Delia spends her days juggling a multitude of tasks to earn money and provide for her large family. She even works an extra job assembling umbrellas to earn money for Marcella’s wedding dress despite Ivano’s disapproval. Though Delia is excited for her daughter, she also wants to ensure that Marcella’s marriage will look nothing like her own.
“There’s Still Tomorrow” is a heavy film, but it handles its portrayals of abuse and sexism with immense care. Instead of showing extreme domestic violence, Cortellesi uses closed windows or dances to insinuate it. Although omitting harsher scenes can sometimes make light of serious issues, Cortellesi’s carefully rendered characters make us feel the weight of every event without triggering viewers by showing all their experiences on screen. The film also gives Delia agency rather than reducing her character to pure victimhood. We see that Delia has dreams outside of her marriage; she wants to be her own person and to see her children succeed. She’s funny and kind and feels like a real person. Cortellesi captures the child-like behaviors of someone forced to grow up too fast, while also displaying the wisdom of a woman who deserves much more respect than she’s given. Most of the runtime shows Delia without Ivano, and so we understand Delia as a person instead of her role as his wife. Even when Ivano is on screen, Cortellesi portrays him as a pathetic man. A man who doesn’t know himself outside of his masculinity, unable to forge an identity outside of working, drinking and being cruel because the world allows him to do so. Delia is the sole heroine, forsaking typical masculine and stoic heroism by caring for her loved ones and sacrificing everything to ensure a better life for her daughter.
The central conflict of “There’s Still Tomorrow” is between mother and daughter. Delia has protected Marcella from her father’s violent outbursts, saved up money for her and stayed around to be in her life. On the other hand, Marcella feels guilt and resentment toward her mother for “putting up with” her father’s abuse. Tension arises when Delia sees Ivano’s violent entitlement in Marcella’s fiancée. As Delia tries to convince Marcella that the man she’s about to marry will destroy her future, Marcella questions Delia’s ability to advise her given her own complicity in an abusive marriage. Though we understand exactly where Delia is coming from, Corteselli balances the two women’s perspectives. The film doesn’t make Marcella out to be a brat. Rather, Marcella holds realistic resentment for her mother. Though it is not Delia’s fault, her marriage to Ivano has negatively impacted her children. They see the abuse their mother endures and live in fear of their own father. The dynamic between them mirrors the broader struggle for women’s rights. Delia understands that her sacrifices are all in the name of getting Marcella further, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard for her to make those sacrifices without seeing the reward for herself.
The past generations of women working for equality fought with the knowledge that they might never reap the rewards of their struggles. But if the next generation lived a better life, they knew it would all be worth it. Despite Delia and Marcella’s differences, they never let their frustration with one another blind them to the love and respect they hold for each other. The love they share is the exact reason they even see a better future. The mother works tirelessly to push the daughter forward, and the daughter makes sure she never leaves her mother behind as she marches forward.
The film is quite clearly directed and written by women, making Delia’s story feel far more authentic and offering more empathy to female characters than most films created by men. The cast of “There’s Still Tomorrow” is rounded out by a diverse group of women. They have different goals and different beliefs, but they stand by each other when it matters. In one scene, Delia and her friend’s argument gets physical, but later on, the same friend protects Marcella from walking in on one of Ivano’s rampages. They represent the womanhood that a lot of us still know today. Women may not always get along with one another, but more often than not, we’re willing to protect each other. Most women have suffered by the same hand, and the film makes sure to incorporate a strong cast of women to support Delia, forming a community to shield themselves from oppression.
The relationship between mother and daughter is illuminated in the shadow of greater forces working to tear it apart. The family as a whole represents how the patriarchy hacks away at family ties in favor of gendered power dynamics. The sins of the father become the burden of the mother. The abuse Ivano inflicts on Delia causes her mental and physical harm, while his desire for financial gain causes his daughter’s engagement and thus, loss of her bodily autonomy as once she marries, Marcella is expected to quit working and have children. Ivano’s attitude towards others and women influences his sons, leading audiences to believe that their reverence of Ivano may lead them down a similar path. Cortellesi shows the sons mirroring their father’s vocabulary and having little respect for their mother despite all she does for them. Not only do Ivano’s sins become Delia’s to bear, but they also have the steep price of the body of the daughter and the souls of the sons.
Ultimately, “There’s Still Tomorrow” tells the story of a woman saving herself. Through Delia, we see how strong women made the very decisions that offered them and their families better opportunities, and she does that as women did in Italy for the first time: by voting. Actor-writer-director Cortellesi does something similar by telling this story her own way. By painting a picture of how women fought back in post-war Rome, Cortellesi empowers audiences to take Delia’s resilience and continue the fight for women’s rights today.
Daily Arts Writer Gaby Cummings can be reached at gabyc@umich.edu.
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