The film that even left “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” behind: “Tomorrow is another day” is an absolute cinema highlight [Anzeige]

‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ were the movies the whole world was talking about in 2023. Italy was no exception: more than 1.8 million people bought a ticket for Greta Gerwig’s film about the legendary toy doll, and more than 3.8 million even went to see Christopher Nolan’s epic about the inventor of the atomic bomb. But a local film was even more successful: “Tomorrow is also a day“(Original: “C’è ancora domani”) landed at number one in the annual Italian cinema charts with more than 5.4 million tickets sold – and also sparked necessary and important debates across the country.

Actress Paola Cortellesi, long one of Italy’s superstars, uses the tools of comedy in her directorial debut, but her moving black-and-white story deals with a serious subject: violence against women. The focus of the story, set in post-war Rome in 1946, is Delia (the director and author herself), who patiently endures her husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea) regularly beating and humiliating her. Her eldest daughter Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano) despises her mother for her passivity, but is in danger of ending up in a similar marriage herself. Delia can’t watch this. She must finally take action – and ultimately does so with sometimes drastic measures…

A great success – with audiences and critics

The fact that a film shot in black and white about domestic violence and the systematic oppression of women becomes an acclaimed audience favorite sounds like a cinematic fairy tale. But that is exactly what Paola Cortellesi has actually achieved with her work – and not only in her home country, but everywhere she has appeared with her film so far. The film won the hearts of the audience at the Gothenburg Film Festival and earned the Audience Award. At its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival, ‘Tomorrow Another Day’ was honored with two prizes from the audience and (!) the jury as best film. On this basis, a triumph that was not thought possible began in Italian cinemas with full houses – fueled by euphoric reviews. Everyone in Italy wanted to see the film. It’s no surprise that “Tomorrow is Another Day” also appeared on numerous annual best of 2023 lists.

The film is gradually reaching other countries and is already writing similar success stories there. After packed previews with great applause on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the time has come “Tomorrow is Another Day” can now be seen in German cinemas nationwide from April 4, 2024. It will be exciting not only to see how many visitors Cortellesi’s work will inspire here, but also whether the film will succeed in sparking a similar debate alongside unforgettable cinema nights. After all, that is exactly what happened in Italy and here too, on average, a woman dies every third day just because she is a woman. Statistically, home is the most dangerous place for women, because the greatest danger comes from their partner or ex-partner.

A film you must see

Word quickly spread in his home country about how important it was to show as many people as possible that ‘tomorrow is another day’. Even though the story is set in 1946, the problem of violence against women is unfortunately still pervasive today – as demonstrated again in Italy by the brutal murder of a young student by her partner just a few weeks after its release from the movie. As part of a major campaign against gender-based violence and femicide “Tomorrow is Another Day” became the perfect hook to raise awareness about the topic, without the finger-wagging that usually accompanies such actions. Special school screenings were even organized to give more than 56,000 students nationwide access to the film.

Above all, “Tomorrow is another day” is a must-see film, even beyond its important message – simply because it’s damn entertaining and also has a completely surprising ending that you can’t reveal in advance. In the official FILMSTARTS review, editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen even writes that you should not just watch this film: “You would like to see this film again today.” He is also convinced: “After the cathartic finale you literally storm out of the cinema to tell all your friends and especially girlfriends about it.”