C'è ancora domani
There's Still Tomorrow - Symbolism & Philosophy
Symbols & Motifs
The Mysterious Letter
The letter functions as the film's central MacGuffin. For much of the runtime, the audience, along with Delia's husband, believes it to be a love letter from her former flame, Nino, symbolizing a romantic escape. Its true nature is revealed at the end: it is Delia's first-ever voter registration card. The symbol's meaning shifts from personal, romantic freedom to a much broader, more powerful form of liberation through political participation and civic duty.
Delia receives the letter early in the film, and it becomes the catalyst for her newfound determination. She hides it and plans her "escape" around it. The climax occurs when she heads to the polling station, having been led by her husband and daughter who think she is eloping. The reveal that her destination is the ballot box, not a rendezvous with a lover, re-frames the entire narrative.
The Ballot Box
The ballot box symbolizes a newfound power and agency for women in post-war Italy. It represents a space where Delia is equal to her husband and where her voice matters. For Delia, it is not just a political tool but a talisman of hope and a weapon against the patriarchy that dominates her domestic life. It is the one place her husband's authority cannot penetrate.
The final scenes of the film are set on June 2 and 3, 1946, during the historic constitutional referendum where Italian women voted for the first time. Delia's determination to reach the polling station, despite her husband's attempts to stop her, forms the film's climax. Casting her vote is her ultimate act of rebellion and self-realization.
Anachronistic Music
The use of modern rock, hip-hop (like Outkast's 'B.O.B.'), and punk-rock songs in a 1940s setting serves to bridge the past and present. It highlights the timelessness of the film's themes, especially violence against women and the fight for rights, suggesting that these struggles are just as relevant today. The music acts as an expression of Delia's inner turmoil, resilience, and unarticulated desire for freedom, giving a modern urgency to her historical struggle.
Contemporary music is used during key sequences, such as when Delia is walking through Rome or during moments of defiance. This stylistic choice intentionally breaks the neorealist aesthetic, reminding the audience that the story, while set in the past, is a commentary on contemporary society.
Philosophical Questions
What constitutes true freedom for an oppressed individual?
The film challenges the conventional cinematic idea of freedom as a physical escape from an oppressive situation (e.g., running away with a lover). Instead, it proposes that freedom can be an internal state of mind and a political act. Delia's liberation comes not from leaving her home, but from claiming her right to participate in shaping her country's future. The film asks whether freedom is an individualistic pursuit or a collective one, suggesting that Delia's most meaningful act of freedom is one that benefits all women, especially her daughter.
Can art—and humor specifically—be an effective tool for confronting and processing trauma?
Director Paola Cortellesi, who comes from a comedy background, makes the bold choice to depict scenes of brutal domestic violence as stylized, choreographed dances. This stylistic decision forces the audience to question how we consume and represent violence. By blending the horrific with the absurd or darkly comedic, the film explores dissociation as a survival mechanism. It asks if finding humor in tragedy is a way of reclaiming power and agency, or if it risks trivializing the suffering. The film's massive success suggests this approach resonated, allowing audiences to engage with a difficult subject without being completely overwhelmed by its bleakness.
Core Meaning
"There's Still Tomorrow" is a powerful feminist statement about emancipation, resilience, and the importance of collective action. Director Paola Cortellesi uses the historical backdrop of post-war Italy—specifically the moment women gained the right to vote—to explore timeless themes of domestic abuse, patriarchal oppression, and the generational transmission of trauma. The film's core message is one of hope, suggesting that even in the most oppressive circumstances, the power for change exists. It argues that liberation isn't necessarily about a grand, romantic escape, but can be found in small, defiant acts of self-worth and in exercising one's civic voice to build a better future for the next generation. The film serves as a poignant reminder that the fight for women's rights is ongoing and that personal struggles are deeply intertwined with political ones.