QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM CANNES
The 2008 economic crash decimated much of Europe, causing many to fall into distress. And so it is for Carlobianchi (Sergio Romano) and Doriano (Pierpaolo Capovilla), two middle-aged drunks “too old to grow up”. They travel across Veneto, ruminating on past glories, snogs and drinks. Somewhere in this town is a bag of cash buried by a pal who vacated to Argentina, and the duo ache to dig it up, but are regularly too inebriated to do so.
The Last One for the Road isn’t exceedingly original – tales of wasted achievement over rampant boozing has featured in cinema for decades, from Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987) to Kings (Tom Collins, 2007) – but the presence of architecture student Giulio (Filippo Scotti) adds another frisson to the tale. Enslaved to his studies, Giulio watches women from afar, too timid to ask them out. The central leads spot him in a club, take pity on the younger man, and bring him on a road trip. There is a philosophy to their thinking: the last drink carries on to the next, and next ad infinitum.
Sceptical, Giulio is charmed enough to join the duo. Any why wouldn’t he be: these venerable gentlemen know the best bars, brothels and banter there is in Italy. He is influenced by their irascible outlook, but the tragedy ultimately is that Carlobianchi and Doriano are at an impasse in life. They are untouched by any inspiration outside of liquor. Like the man who escaped to Latin America, they once possessed huge amounts of cash, but unlike their colleague, they spent every cent of it. And now they’re destined to spend their lives crashing on sofas, or napping in the car.
Tragedy is etched into the frames, but there is much laughter too. Passable dancers, Carlobianchi and Doriano groove with the gorgeous women in the local nightclubs. There is a pensioner who tuts at them, but this criticism falls on dead airs. If they are to waste their lives away, Carlobianchi and Doriano are going to do it their way.
Scotti plays the younger student commendably well, and his arc from frightened mouse to liberated, confident man is executed nicely. The character is less loquacious than the drivers, but his furrowed brows and absence of smile bring a realism to the story. Smiling to himself after a sexual conquest, Giulio returns to the vehicle a happier person. This Italian is starting to cool down. And that’s the Achilles heel of all problems.
Carlobianchi and Doriano utilise Giulio for one of their cons. Masking themselves as property developers, they swindle money from a wealthy count before swiftly making a get-away. Then they drive off into the sunny Region of Veneto, a palace of foliage and fragrance. The bohemian stylings suits the vagabonds, but Carlobianchi and Doriano struggle with recent memories. The alcohol abuse is catching up with them.
As tragicomedies go, The Last One for the Road works because it melds the sadness and happier moments fluidly. Optimism prevails above hardship and desperation. A retired worker is gifted a Rolex by a millionaire factory owner. Carlobianchi and Doriano meet him a slot machine, the watch on proud display. The men mistake a lemon ice-cream for another flavour, remarking that they expected “bitter” but got “sweet”. The combination of adjectives neatly encapsulates the story, the life and the experience Carlobianchi and Doriano endure. They search for bitter, and land on sweet.
The Last One for the Road just premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 78th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival.
