Nessuno si salva da solo (You Can’t Save Yourself Alone), directed by Sergio Castellito, tells the story of Gaetano (Riccardo Scamarcio) and Delia (Jasmine Trinca), a broken couple that meets for dinner and to discuss their children’s imminent holidays. As expected, such an occasion prompts them to think about their relationship’s origins as well as the faults and mistakes made along the way. Remembrances come and go, good and bad times, the agony and the bliss altogether in a series of recollections. By the end of the evening, they might not be happier, but they will have learned something important about themselves.
The main problem with Castellito’s feature is not necessarily its overworked formula to tackle the history of a romantic relationship gone awry. Of course, having two people sitting for dinner to talk to explain viewers what happened to them is not exactly the best possible departure point. Even with the flashbacks, the whole narrative structure feels too static and lifeless. But in the hands of a talented director, with the right actors, engaging dialogue and moderately inspired scenes from a marriage, the result could’ve been decent enough.
But Nessuno si salva da solo can’t do such a trick. It’s not a total disaster, that’s for sure, but it’s frustrating nonetheless. It’s not much of an insightful or personal exploration into what made this couple fall in love and then fall out of love. For an anatomy of a separation, it lacks a distinctive gaze. It even has a too soft approach to complex circumstances.
So you get the usual scenes depicting a somewhat workaholic husband — and also a cheater — with his devoted wife, also a somewhat fragile woman at times. He’s good looking, has a good heart despite his flaws, manages to be a decent father for most of the time, and often makes wrong decisions that leave his wife out of the picture. She is pretty and luminous, shy at first but then self assured. She’s a good mother, puts up with the marriage’s frustrations and still loves her husband. In the end, they still love one another, but they just can’t be happy together.
In formal terms, think of your average TV movie and you’ll have an idea of what Nessuno si salva da solo looks like. That is to say, it has a rather flat mise-en-scene, pretty motionless camerawork, merely correct photography and unexpressive sound design — except for the musical score, which is pretty annoying. And while the actors do their best to give some credibility to their lines, the truth is that this is the kind of dialogue that spells out almost everything to viewers and doesn’t have much of a subtext.
In addition, famed actress Angela Molina shows up in the film’s last 20 minutes or so, in a role that’s as underwritten as it’s artificial.
production notes
Nessuno si salva da solo / You can’t save yourself alone (Italy, 2015). Directed by Sergio Castellito. Written by Margaret Mazzantini. With Riccardo Scamarcio, Jasmine Trinca, Anna Galiena, Marina Rocco, Massimo Bonetti, Valentina Cenni, Massimo Ciavarro. Cinematography: Gian Filippo Corticelli. Editing: Chiara Vullo. Running time: 103 minutes.
