Written and directed by Francesco Sossai, co-written by Adriano Candiago, a couple of jovial life-long drunkards run into a shy architecture undergrad, whose way of seeing things will be transformed as the trio wanders from pub to pub in search of a buried treasure. Starring: Sergio Romano, Pierpaolo Capovilla, Filippo Scotti, Roberto Citran and Andrea Pennacchi.
There’s forever a charm in that classic formula of following characters who never truly take life seriously and just want to have a good time. They’re looked down upon by others, yet if you spend a little time with them, you realise they do actually have something to teach you. That maybe sometimes you do need to simply slow down and enjoy things. That’s what The Last One for the Road gives us, that lesson of: embrace the chaos, go with the flow, and have a good time while you can.
Francesco Sossai’s direction and Massimiliano Kuveiller’s cinematography then build upon that charm. Creating an aesthetic which has excellent depth and texture, while also feeling nostalgic and established. Although, The Last One for the Road does tend to move slowly, and a lot of the time, the plot is more of a random sequence of events than a path which builds upon itself. It takes a little too long for them to become that trio, and the film becomes stronger once their friendship takes hold, so it would have been great to get to that earlier and give them more time to get into trouble.
When the three of them do get together, Sergio Romano, Pierpaolo Capovilla and Filippo Scotti, they have a very natural chemistry. It’s not an immediate trust, it takes time for Giulio (Scotti) to open up to his newfound older friends. Watching Romano and Capovilla’s characters slowly break down his walls and pry him out of his shell into the unknown is really enjoyable. They’re a sweet trio, they all create great personalities and they’re utterly convincing, nothing about them doesn’t feel natural and individual. They also instil great hints of sadness and regret into the atmosphere, in a classic looking back at life kind of way.
You can sense how Sossai and Adriano Candiago are also trying to thread different cultural, political and economical issues beneath this low-key adventure. However, at times that can feel very specific to Italians and not entirely accessible to a wider audience. The writing is good work but it’s lacking something, it’s not quite weird enough, the comedy is solid but not that consistent, there’s some chaos but it’s mostly a lot of sitting around drinking. Meaning that it lands somewhere in the middle of all of those qualities, which is decent but not exceptional.
The Last One for the Road is a lovely, understated adventure exploring the value in living for the moment. There’s a great cast at work, they’re endearing and unexpected. It has a strong aesthetic and captivating presence, however it feels like the story never fully gets going. There are some loose threads and emotional issues which get left mostly undisturbed. It’s interesting viewing but it feels like it underplayed its hand a bit too much.
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