Italy, 2023 / 118 Mins
Director: Paola Cortellesi
Starring: Paola Cortellesi, Valerio Mastandrea, Romana Maggiora Vergano
Rome, 1946 after the liberation from fascism. Delia (Paola Cortellesi) is the wife of Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea) and the mother of three children. Two roles to which she devotes herself wholeheartedly. On top of that, she helps out the household budget with lots of small jobs to keep the family afloat. Ivano, on the other hand, feels entitled to remind everyone who the breadwinner is. And not just with words. Physical and psychological violence are part of Delia's everyday life. Until a mysterious letter arrives that gives her the courage to throw everything overboard and wish for a better life, and not just for herself …
Writer, director and leading actress Paola Cortellesi is one of Italy's most dynamic and versatile artists. Her directorial debut does not proclaim feminism with a raised index finger, but tells of the many small steps on the long road to emancipation. In terms of genre, she constantly switches between drama and comedy. It is a laconic, shoulder-shrugging humour with which the women hold together in this repressive time under the radar of tyrannical men, a light, almost casual female solidarity in the face of the superiority of patriarchy with its outdated role models. Ideas that persist to this day.
Subtitles.
Writer, director and leading actress Paola Cortellesi is one of Italy's most dynamic and versatile artists. Her directorial debut does not proclaim feminism with a raised index finger, but tells of the many small steps on the long road to emancipation. In terms of genre, she constantly switches between drama and comedy. It is a laconic, shoulder-shrugging humour with which the women hold together in this repressive time under the radar of tyrannical men, a light, almost casual female solidarity in the face of the superiority of patriarchy with its outdated role models. Ideas that persist to this day.
Subtitles.