Vague Visages’ There’s Still Tomorrow review contains minor spoilers. Paola Cortellesi’s 2023 movie features herself, Valerio Mastandrea and Romana Maggiora Vergano. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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There’s Still Tomorrow, the feature directorial debut by Italian actress Paola Cortellesi, betrays traditional World War II-era films with its unique style and subversion. The drama spotlights the shared troubles and perseverance of two working-class Roman women, with Davide Leone’s exceptional cinematography bringing grace to scenes depicting physical abuse. There’s Still Tomorrow announces the arrival of rising Italian star Romana Maggiora Vergano (Cabrini) and features a most unexpected needle-drop, one that yanks audiences from the 1946 setting and positions viewers within the mind of the lead protagonist, Delia (portrayed by Cortellesi) — a housewife and mother of three who dreams of a better life.

Cortellesi brings her story to life through steady motion shots and slick editing (courtesy of Valentina Mariani) during the opening act. Overhead visuals capture daily routines within the Santucci home, where a war veteran named Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea) constantly insults his wife, Delia, while anticipating a marriage between his daughter, Marcella (Vergano), and an upper-class gentleman (Francesco Centorame as Giulio). Meanwhile, Cortellesi’s female protagonist converses with local women, including her best friend Marisa (Emanuela Fanelli), while occasionally chatting with a Black military police officer (Yonv Joseph as William) and a former flame, Nino (Vinicio Marchioni). When Giulio and his wealthy parents accept a dinner invitation at the Santucci household, Marcella worries about ruining a possible engagement, primarily because of her foul-mouthed younger brothers and her mother’s modest appearance, not to mention the behavior of her rude father and feisty grandfather (Giorgio Colangeli as Ottorino). Cortellesi and her co-writers (Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda) take their time developing each main player, setting the stage for a complex social commentary about class dynamics and gender roles in post-war Italy.

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In There’s Still Tomorrow, Cortellesi shifts between choreographed musical sequences and telling static shots. For example, when Ivano smacks his wife on the face, the couple subsequently dances together in a dream-like scene, with the director offering insight into Delia’s frame of mind. During exterior sequences, Cortellesi and her cinematographer compose medium and close-up shots of the female protagonist as she sits (or rather stands) with her thoughts as locals gossip nearby. This approach is also effective during interior scenes, in which Marcella challenges her mother to stand up for herself, and wonders why she doesn’t leave her husband. Once again, the filmmakers take their time during such moments that simultaneously underscore Marcella’s anxiety and Vergano’s powerful screen presence. The young actress communicates her character’s fears through broken smiles and nervous gestures, which essentially ground each and every interior scene as more powerful figures seek control. Elsewhere, during exterior sequences, Delia prepares for her daughter’s future (and subsequently finds inner peace) by stealing money at various jobs and colluding with both Marisa and Nino as female suffrage in 1945 Italy functions as a historical backdrop.

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Cortellesi’s filmmaking patience allows the audience to process poignant dialogue in There’s Still Tomorrow. “You even put perfume on him for his whores,” Marcella says to her mother in reference to her abusive father. And on more than one occasion, Delia justifies Ivano’s behavior by acknowledging his experiences in “two wars.” However, it’s the protagonist’s internal war that causes the most stress, as she’s simply overwhelmed by various responsibilities while thinking about the past, present and future. Incidentally, Cortellesi’s eclectic musical selections transcend time and space, most notably when Outkast’s “Bombs Over Baghdad” (!) sets in during a climactic sequence — a far cry from the stylized interior dance sequences as Delia suffers emotional and physical abuse.

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There’s Still Tomorrow briefly loses momentum during the final act, if only to highlight Delia and Marcella’s renewed perspectives upon experiencing epiphanies about their personal lives. But Cortellesi packs in all kinds of subtle storytelling nuances, usually through her camera angles and accessible lines of dialogue that strengthen the overall character arcs. There’s Still Tomorrow mostly looks like a classic Italian neorealism film from the 40s, but it’s unlike any other Italian movie in existence. Not bad for a directorial debut.

There’s Still Tomorrow premieres in North America on May 30, 2024 at Open Roads: New Italian Cinema at Film at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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