"Se domani non torno" is a very useful film, and that's enough Inspired by Giulia Cecchettin's story and soon in cinemas

Within just a few months of each other, the big screen has brought to life two stories that dominated news, television, social media, and public spaces. Premiering at the Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section, La città dei vivi revisited the murder case of Luca Varani, a young boy from La Storta, a suburban neighborhood in Rome. Meanwhile, arriving at the Rome Film Festival in collaboration with Alice nella Città, and following its screening at the Giffoni Film Festival for young audiences, comes Se domani non torno, a film that retraces the days spent searching for Giulia Cecchettin and the discovery of her tragic end.

Se domani non torno, the movie telling Giulia Cecchettin's story in theaters from November 5

A femicide that was neither the first nor, unfortunately, the last. Yet it was a crime that shook an entire country, getting under people's skin and amplifying the pain and suffering of an entire category tired of the brutal, barbaric, and systemic repercussions of patriarchy. One of those events that transcends the crime itself because the girl's family succeeded in making it so, turning their daughter and sister into a touchstone so that the society we live in can change. Slowly, but change nonetheless.

Directed by Paola Randi and inspired by the book Cara Giulia

The film is directed by Paola Randi, who co-wrote it alongside Lisa Nur Sultan, adapting the 2024 book Cara Giulia. Quello che ho imparato da mia figlia by Gino Cecchettin and Marco Franzoso. Its cinematic adaptation mirrors what her father and her sister, Elena Cecchettin, have done and continue to do since the day Giulia Cecchettin disappeared on November 11, 2023: presenting an event that shocks consciences and, above all, calls things by their name. Which makes the film useful. "Useful" is certainly not the most glamorous adjective to place next to a film title, but for Se domani non torno, it is the most spot-on, given the work and its final result. A simple, linear narrative, focused more on explaining than showing, which does not seek artistic flourish, even though Randi occasionally weaves in creative touches.

Two different real-crime adaptations in cinema: Se domani non torno and La città dei vivi

The polar opposite of La città dei vivi, where nothing was overtly said or shown. Two real-crime stories that highlight just how far apart true story adaptations can be, including their ultimate goals. Indeed, Edoardo Gabbriellini's work strove for artistic expression. Not out of vanity, but to offer a different perspective on the (un)explainable nature of a violent act whose illogic had been frequently narrated, with the director choosing to focus on the point of view of the victim and their family, on how their lives were suddenly upended for no reason at all.

A didactic film designed to educate younger generations

Se domani non torno, on the other hand, highlights everything. It does so because its goal is different: it aims for broader, mainstream reach. And that works; it makes sense. It is certainly a film that could have pushed for more, but your perspective shifts when you view it as a production intended to be didactic in order to be clear and immediate for its audience. A film meant to deliver a direct message, best experienced in schools, community center meetings, institutional settings, and collective gatherings, especially where young people are present. Because sometimes cinema can be just that: a tool to remember and educate.