Director Nanni Moretti enters new territory with his latest feature, It Will Happen Tonight (Succederà questa notte), blending his signature arthouse sensibilities with the sweeping, high-stakes conventions of a serial romance. According to the Venice Film Festival program, the competition title adapts short stories by Israeli author Eshkol Nevo, pairing French actor Louis Garrel with Italian star Jasmine Trinca across decades of missed connections.
From Arthouse Satire to High-End Soap Opera
For decades, Moretti built his international reputation on leftist political satires and introspective human comedies, earning accolades like a Palme d’Or. In It Will Happen Tonight, the 73-year-old filmmaker tests a different register. Screenwriters Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, and Valia Santella trace a 17-year romance defined by coincidence, spanning global destinations including Rome, Oslo, Turino, San Sebastian, and Mumbai.
The narrative begins in two distinct hemispheres. In Oslo, Matteo—played by Louis Garrel sporting a handlebar mustache reminiscent of the Red Brigades—welcomes a child with his younger Norwegian girlfriend, Melina Akerman, before she abandons them. Matteo subsequently returns to Rome to live near his domineering mother, played by Angela Finocchiaro. Simultaneously, in India, Greta—played by Jasmine Trinca—faces an unexpected marriage proposal from her expat partner, prompting her to summon her father, played by Moretti himself, to act as a sounding board.
Improbable Twists and Melodramatic Detours
As the years go by, the characters experience standard life milestones: babies are born, parents get sick and die, careers are started then ended, and wives and husbands are thwarted. Seven years after their initial separation, Matteo plays tennis in Rome while Greta happens to get married to a new man in the garden right next door, strolling onto the court in her wedding dress for a brief game.
Subsequent twists place Matteo and Greta together repeatedly before their mutual attraction boils over. A significant detour follows Matteo and his cancer-stricken French father, played by Hippolyte Girardot, whose dying wish is attending a Bruce Springsteen concert. Traveling to Spain, Matteo encounters Greta a second time before witnessing his father’s final death scene following a tearful singalong of Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart,” which shares its name with Nevo’s story collection.
Cast and Production Details
- Director: Nanni Moretti
- Screenwriters: Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, Valia Santella
- Source Material: Hungry Heart by Eshkol Nevo
- Cast: Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca, Hippolyte Girardot, Angela Finocchiaro, Melina Akerman, Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi, Antonio De Matteo, Nanni Moretti
- Venue: Venice Film Festival (Competition)
- Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes
Additional cast members include Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi, and Antonio De Matteo, who plays Greta’s new man. Elisabetta Traversa also appears as Greta’s depressed teenage daughter, though reviewers note that specific subplot feels too sketched out to carry weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is It Will Happen Tonight about?
The film follows Matteo and Greta, two individuals who cross paths serendipitously across multiple countries and decades while navigating family crises, romantic upheavals, and unrequited longing.
Who wrote the screenplay?
Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, and Valia Santella co-wrote the script, adapting stories from Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo.
Where did the film premiere?
The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival (Competition).
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