The secret to immortality: "Ci vediamo domani" [2013 Italy]

Agreed - Andrea Zaccariello's gentle comedy "Ci vediamo domani" [Eng. Trans: See you tomorrow] was never intended to be anything more than that, but I suspect he might have missed an opportunity here. Because the film touches on issues that are topical and worthy of discourse, but like most mainstream films, shies away by taking the easiest option and forces a happy ending that was not at all necessary.

It makes a valid observation concerning the present generation, who tend to get into debt rather easily thanks to the present culture of indulgence, and look for an even easier way out when problems mount, often relying on an earlier generation who had worked a lot harder through their lives. Marcello (Enrico Brignano), already separated from second wife Flavia (Francesca Inaudi), falls on hard times as business fails and creditors knock on his door. Yet he spends money buying scratch-card raffle tickets in the hope of his luck turning. His six year old daughter is disappointed in him too - she often communicates in writing, signing off with the drawing of a worm eating an apple.

After overhearing a conversation that only businesses that deal with food and death tend to remain viable during an economic downturn, Marcello comes up with the idea of opening a funeral parlour. Wanting to become successful in quick-time, he'll open one in an area where old people outnumber others. He finds out in a news article that most of the people in the quaint village of Pietrafrisca are old-age pensioners, and sets up shop there after persuading his grandmother to mortgage her property. Only, he hadn't bothered to read the article in full. He'll learn soon enough though, that the last time someone died in the village was way back in 1972, and it was in the news only because of the unusual longevity of its residents. The secret, according to them, is the phrase with which they bid goodbye every time, "Ci vediamo domani" (see you tomorrow), and the hope it represented - that they'll still be around the following day to see other...

The heart-warming premise is exploited mainly for comedic reasons, even though some soul-searching moments are occasionally involved. Unfortunately it also gets sloppy with its plot midway, and doesn't for moment hesitate in its casual racial-stereotyping of characters. Either way, this frittata isn't exactly ready-to-eat, requiring a pinch of salt to make it palatable...

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Corrine Jiga
In a brief scene, round about the time when the film starts to loose its focus, an immigrant from Romania (Dracula country - and you can see the gag coming) calling herself Maria (Corinne Jiga), finds her way into Marcello's coffin-bed by pretending to have been abandoned after her husband's imprisonment.



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