A Brighter Tomorrow

{{Short description|2023 comedy-drama film}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox film

| name = A Brighter Tomorrow

| image = Il sol dell'avvenire 2023 film poster.png

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|it|Il sol dell'avvenire|translation=The Sun of the Future}}

| director = Nanni Moretti

| writer = {{plainlist|

}}

| producer = {{plainlist|

}}

| starring = {{plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Michele D'Attanasio{{cite web|url=https://www.fandango.it/film/il-sol-dellavvenire/|title=Il Sol dell'Avvenire|website=Fandango|language=it|access-date=27 April 2023}}

| editing = Clelio Benevento

| music = Franco Piersanti

| production_companies = {{plainlist|

}}

| distributor = {{plainlist|

}}

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2023|4|20|Italy|2023|5|24|Cannes|2023|6|28|France}}

| runtime = 96 minutes{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/il-sol-dell-avvenire/|title=IL SOL DELL'AVVENIRE|website=Festival de Cannes|access-date=7 May 2023}}

| country = {{plainlist|

  • Italy
  • France

}}

| language = Italian

| budget = 12.3 million{{cite web|url=https://cinema.cultura.gov.it/database-opere/|title=Database opere|website=Direzione Generale Cinema e audiovisivo|language=it|access-date=27 April 2023}}

| gross = $6.7 million{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=16731908|title=A Brighter Tomorrow (2023)|access-date=25 July 2024}}

}}

A Brighter Tomorrow ({{langx|it|Il sol dell'avvenire|lit=The Sun of the Future}}){{cite magazine|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|date=16 May 2022|title=Kinology Takes Sales on Nanni Moretti's 'Il Sol Dell'Avvenire' – First Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/kinology-nanni-morettis-il-sol-dellavvenire-1235267840/|magazine=Variety|access-date=27 April 2023}} is a 2023 Italian-French comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Nanni Moretti.

The film was released in Italy on 20 April 2023. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened on 24 May 2023. It received seven nominations at the 69th David di Donatello awards.{{cite magazine|last=Roxborough|first=Scott|date=3 April 2024|title=Paola Cortellesi's 'There's Still Tomorrow' Leads Italy's Donatello Awards Nominations|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/theres-still-tomorrow-italy-donatello-awards-nominations-1235865474/|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=5 April 2024}}

Synopsis

Giovanni is a director, who dreams to make a film adaptation from John Cheever's "The Swimmer" with a soundtrack made of many Italian pop songs. He is married to Paola, who works with him as a producer. Together they have a daughter, who is a musician. While Giovanni is busy shooting a film about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Paola starts working on another film production. Giovanni is resentful of Paola's extra professional engagement, as he feels she should concentrate on his career alone. Tension culminates during a visit Giovanni pays to the set of the film Paola is working on, where he openly criticises the director, the plot and the final scene they are shooting. Exasperated with Giovanni's attitude, Paola leaves him the next day. When Giovanni's film encounters financial troubles, Paola comes to his rescue by bringing in a team of South Korean producers. The events prove to have a deep effect on Giovanni, who decides to change the ending of his film and give it a more positive message.

Cast

{{Castlist|

  • Nanni Moretti as Giovanni
  • Margherita Buy as Paola
  • Silvio Orlando as Himself / Ennio Mastrogiovanni
  • Mathieu Amalric as Pierre Cambou
  • Barbora Bobuľová as Herself / Vera
  • Zsolt Anger as Circus Director
  • Jerzy Stuhr as Jerzy
  • Teco Celi as Psychoanalyst
  • Valentina Romani as Emma
  • Arianna Pozzoli as Arianna
  • Elena Lietti as Netflix Executive
  • Flavio Furno as Edoardo
  • Francesco Brandi as Property Master
  • Michele Eburnea as Actor
  • Laura Nardi as Makeup Artist
  • Giuseppe Scoditti as Young Director
  • Arianna Serrao as Costume Designer
  • Blu Yoshimi as Actress
  • Sun Hee You as Performer

}}

Production

Il sol dell'avvenire was co-written by Nanni Moretti with collaborators Francesca Marciano, Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella. The film was co-produced by Moretti through Sacher Film and by Domenico Procacci through Fandango, with Rai Cinema and France's Le Pacte. It was produced in collaboration with France 3 Cinéma, with the participation of Canal+, Ciné+ and France Télévisions.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Moretti called the film "complex and costly".

Filming began on 8 March 2022. Shooting took place at Cinecittà, as well as on the streets of Rome. In May 2022, scenes were shot on Rome's Via dei Fori Imperiali, with an elaborate procession featuring a band, extras, horses and elephants.{{cite web|url=https://canaledieci.it/2022/05/12/roma-scene-massa-turisti-increduli-nanni-moretti-gira-nuovo-film/|title=Roma, scene di massa e turisti increduli: Nanni Moretti gira il suo nuovo film (VIDEO)|last=Palchetti|first=Elisa|date=12 May 2022|website=Canale Dieci|language=it|access-date=27 April 2023}}{{cite news|last=Ulivi|first=Stefania|date=10 May 2022|title=Roma, ai Fori Imperiali elefanti, bandiere del Pci e banda. Folla stupita, ma è il nuovo film di Moretti|url=https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/22_maggio_10/roma-fori-imperiali-elefanti-bandiere-pci-banda-folla-stupita-ma-nuovo-film-moretti-4e595492-d053-11ec-ae98-deceb48b9302.shtml|newspaper=Corriere della Sera|location=Rome|access-date=27 April 2023}} Moretti's use of animals on set was criticized by animal rights groups, including Lega Anti Vivisezione (LAV).{{cite news|last=Pistilli|first=Clement|date=10 May 2022|title=Elefanti in corteo su via dei Fori Imperiali, animalisti contro Nanni Moretti|url=https://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/05/10/news/elefanti_nanni_moretti_animalisti-348949809/|newspaper=la Repubblica|location=Rome|access-date=27 April 2023}} Filming wrapped on 21 June 2022.{{cite web|url=https://cinema.everyeye.it/notizie/nanni-moretti-finite-riprese-film-sol-avvenire-mathieu-amalric-594320.html|title=Nanni Moretti: finite le riprese del nuovo film Il Sol Dell'Avvenire con Mathieu Amalric|last=Cantire|first=Davide|date=22 June 2022|website=Everyeye.it|language=it|access-date=27 April 2023}}

Release

Il sol dell'avvenire was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival,{{Cite web |title=The films of the Official Selection 2023 |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-releases/the-films-of-the-official-selection-2023/ |access-date=18 April 2023 |website=Festival de Cannes |language=en-US}} where it was screened on 24 May 2023.{{Cite web |last=mraultpauillac |date=2023-05-10 |title=The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2023/the-screenings-guide-of-the-76th-festival-de-cannes/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Festival de Cannes}} The film was theatrically released in Italy by 01 Distribution on 20 April 2023, before its Cannes screening, which, although considered a rare privilege, is permitted by the festival's regulations.{{cite news|last=Giani|first=Stefano|date=14 April 2023|title=Tre italiani sotto le palme a Cannes|url=https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/tre-italiani-sotto-palme-cannes-2138051.html|newspaper=il Giornale|language=it|access-date=17 April 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/participer/inscrire-un-film/reglement-longs-metrages/|title=Règlement Longs métrages|website=Festival de Cannes|language=fr|access-date=27 April 2023}} It was theatrically released in France by Le Pacte on 28 June 2023.{{cite magazine|date=30 March 2023|title=Le Pacte ajuste la sortie du prochain Nanni Moretti|url=https://www.lefilmfrancais.com/cinema/161143/le-pacte-ajuste-la-sortie-du-prochain-nanni-moretti|url-access=subscription|magazine=Le Film français|language=fr|access-date=27 April 2023}} It was also invited to the 27th Lima Film Festival in the Acclaimed section, where it was screened on 10 August 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://festivaldelima.com/2023/pelicula/il-sol-dellavvenire/|title=Il sol dell'avvenire|trans-title=A Brighter Tomorrow|website=27 PUCP Lima Film Festival|access-date=August 9, 2023|language=es}} It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 5 October 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://www.biff.kr/eng/html/program/prog_all_list.asp?allYear=2023 |title= The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List |website=Busan International Film Festival|date=September 5, 2023|access-date=September 11, 2023|language=en}}

International sales are handled by Kinology.

Reception

=Critical response=

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Moretti's , A Brighter Tomorrow vibrantly presents a myriad of rose-tinted ideas celebrating the love of cinema that dip too far into nostalgia and self-indulgence."{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=A Brighter Tomorrow|type=m|id=il_sol_dellavvenire|access-date=25 July 2024}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 8 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite Metacritic|id=a-brighter-tomorrow|type=movie|title=A Brighter Tomorrow|access-date=19 February 2024}}

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it "bafflingly awful: muddled, mediocre and metatextual – a complete waste of time, at once strident and listless."{{cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=24 May 2023|title=A Brighter Tomorrow review – Nanni Moretti's new film is bafflingly awful|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/24/a-brighter-tomorrow-nanni-morettis-review-cannes|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=12 September 2023}}

=Awards and nominations=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" | Award

! scope="col" | Date of ceremony

! scope="col" | Category

! scope="col" | Recipient(s)

! scope="col" | Result

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Ref heading}}

scope="row" | Cannes Film Festival

| 27 May 2023

| Palme d'Or

| Nanni Moretti

| {{nom}}

| align="center" |

rowspan="7" scope="row" | David di Donatello

| rowspan="7" | 3 May 2024

| Best Film

| A Brighter Tomorrow

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="7" align="center" |

Best Director

| Nanni Moretti

| {{nom}}

Best Supporting Actor

| Silvio Orlando

| {{nom}}

Best Supporting Actress

| Barbora Bobuľová

| {{nom}}

Best Original Screenplay

| Francesca Marciano, Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, Valia Santella

| {{nom}}

Best Score

| Franco Piersanti

| {{nom}}

Best Sound

| Alessandro Zanon, Marta Billingsley, Daniele Quadroli, Paolo Segat

| {{nom}}

scope="row" | Miskolc International Film Festival

| 9 September 2023

| Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film

| A Brighter Tomorrow

| {{nom}}

| align="center" | {{cite web|url=https://www.filmneweurope.com/news/hungary-news/item/125048-festivals-cinefest-miskolc-international-film-festival-2023-announces-lineup|title=FESTIVALS: CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival 2023 Announces Lineup|date=17 August 2023|publisher=Film New Europe Association|access-date=4 September 2023|archive-date=4 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004173213/https://www.filmneweurope.com/news/hungary-news/item/125048-festivals-cinefest-miskolc-international-film-festival-2023-announces-lineup|url-status=live}}

rowspan="9" scope="row" | Nastro d'Argento

| rowspan="9" | 20 June 2023

| Best Supporting Actress

| Barbora Bobuľová

| {{won}}

| rowspan="2" align="center" | {{cite news|last=Scarpa|first=Vittoria|date=21 June 2023|title=Kidnapped scoops seven Nastri d'Argento awards|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/445172|work=Cineuropa|access-date=12 July 2023}}

Guglielmo Biraghi Award

| Valentina Romani

| {{won}}

Best Film

| Nanni Moretti

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="7" align="center" | {{cite news|date=1 June 2023|title=Nastri d'argento, le candidature: in testa 'Rapito' e 'Il sol dell'avvenire'|url=https://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/cinema/2023/06/01/news/nastri_dargento_candidature_rapito_il_sol_dellavvenire_bellocchio_moretti-402757381/|url-status=live|newspaper=la Repubblica|language=it|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230712043039/https://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/cinema/2023/06/01/news/nastri_dargento_candidature_rapito_il_sol_dellavvenire_bellocchio_moretti-402757381/|archive-date=12 July 2023|access-date=12 July 2023|url-access=limited}}

Best Director

| Nanni Moretti

| {{nom}}

Best Screenplay

| Francesca Marciano, Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, Valia Santella

| {{nom}}

Best Actress

| Margherita Buy

| {{nom}}

Best Production Design

| Alessandro Vannucci

| {{nom}}

Best Sound

| Alessandro Zanon

| {{nom}}

Best Score{{efn|Franco Piersanti nominated for his work on both A Brighter Tomorrow and Dry.}}

| Franco Piersanti

| {{nom}}

See also

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}