Movies: Come se non ci fosse un domani (2025) by Riccardo Cremona & Matteo Keffer: Activism, Climate Crisis & the Personal Cost of Resistance

Inside Italy’s Ultima Generazione Movement

This documentary intimately follows five activists from the Italian collective Ultima Generazione, who are committed to non-violent civil disobedience in response to the climate emergency. The film tracks their public acts—roadblocks, the defacement of institutional buildings and works of art—and also reveals personal stories: what motivates them, the fears they carry, how they prepare for protest, and the backlash they endure from media, institutions, and even family.

Set against real climate-impacted communities in Italy, the narrative shifts between personal revelations and public events, capturing both the idealism and the tension of people exposing themselves to risk in order to speak for a future that seems increasingly uncertain. The documentary spans about 90 minutes and was produced in 2024, released theatrically in Italy in March 2025.

Why to Recommend This Film: Urgent, Human, Thought-Provoking

Why to watch this documentary:

• Human face of activism — Puts real people at the center, speaking of idealism, doubt, sacrifice rather than abstract slogans.

• Balanced storytelling — Shows both the passion and the struggle, including internal doubts, family concerns, public criticism.

• Relevance to climate justice — Engages with a global issue via Italian activists, making the stakes feel local and global simultaneously.

• Cinematic reflexivity — Filmmakers don’t just record protest; they investigate what it takes to step forward, to be seen, and to be criticized.

• Visual and emotional immediacy — Moments of protest, media response, and personal fear are captured with clarity and emotional power.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/it/film/come-se-non-ci-fosse-un-domani-2025 (Italy)

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33503610/

Link Review: https://www.sentieriselvaggi.it/come-se-non-ci-fosse-di-riccardo-cremona-matteo-keffer/

About movie: https://filmitalia.org/it/film/202426/

What is the Trend Followed: Documentaries of Dissent & Youth Climate Movements

• Activism filmed from the inside — joins a wave of documentaries that embed with protest movements to portray their internal complexities.

• Youth voice and urgency — reflects a cultural moment in which younger generations demand accountability for climate inertia.

• Political climate cinema — similar in spirit to recent climate docs, but focused more on civil disobedience and less on scientific explanation.

Director’s Vision: Empathy, Proximity, and Risk

• Cremona and Keffer aim to balance intimacy (showing activists’ private lives, fears, families) with the public spectacle (protests, media coverage).

• They give space to personal conflict: the activist’s family, the judgments, the versus between radical action and everyday life.

• Visually, they juxtapose protest scenes (often tense, charged) with quiet moments—gestures, conversations, moments of vulnerability—to suggest what activism costs.

Themes: Sacrifice, Visibility, Moral Agency

• Personal sacrifice & identity — What does it cost to be an activist, to expose yourself, to risk contempt or legal consequences?

• Visibility vs. invisibility — Activists struggle with being seen: by the media, by the public, by those in power, and also in their own self-image.

• Media narrative and public shame — The film examines how public perception often centers on the protestors’ methods rather than the message.

• Desire for legacy — Many participants speak not only of immediate change but of insisting on a future that their children might inhabit.

Key Success Factors: Authenticity, Narrative Depth, and Emotional Consistency

• Strong participant voices — The five activists (Beatrice Pepe, Simone Ficicchia, Chloé Bertini, Michele Giuli, Tommaso Juhasz) offer distinct experiences and hopes, preventing the film from becoming monolithic.

• Producer pedigree — Supported by established Italian producers (including Paolo Virzì), giving the film resources and visibility while maintaining its documentary integrity.

• Emotional architecture — The documentary builds tension: media pushback, legal risk, internal conflict, family resistance; this structure keeps the viewer engaged.

• Resonance with present climate debates — Its timing and content align with widespread demand for climate action, making its messages difficult to ignore.

Critics Reception: Seen as Honest, Energetic, with Uneasy Undercurrents

• Sentieri Selvaggi praised its honesty and balanced narrative, noting that the film reveals doubts and fears as much as enthusiasm and moral conviction. They comment on how the activists had dreams before joining the movement—aspirations in arts, music, dance—that they set aside, which brings a humane texture to their current struggle.

• Hot Corn Green highlighted the documentary’s capacity to capture the mood of a fraught historical moment, its visual contrasts (urban protests, natural terrains), and the mix of private and public spheres. They also noted the bitter aftertaste remaining by the end: admiration for the energy, but unease about how small and marginalized such movements often are.

• Filmitalia’s dossier describes the film as a narrative that opens eyes to the backstage of activism: the preparation, the personal cost, and the interplay between idealism and public reaction.

Reviews: Powerful, Imperfect, And Deeply Human

• Strengths: The documentary’s strength is in showing ordinary people doing radical things—giving rise to empathy. Also strong is the moral clarity: climate urgency isn’t abstract; it’s something these young activists live.

• Weaknesses: Some reviews suggest that while the emotional impact is high, the film occasionally leans into repetition (similar protest scenes, media blowback) without always deepening the narrative arcs of all five subjects. Others note that for some viewers, the film may leave unanswered questions about strategy and effectiveness.

• Overall impression: Come se non ci fosse un domani is seen as a vivid, urgent, and necessary film—one that doesn’t offer easy comfort but insists on importance and on recognizing the burden borne by those who act early.

Release & Recognition Details

• The film is 90 minutes long; production is Italian (2024) and it was released theatrically in Italy in March 2025.

• It was produced by Motorino Amaranto, with production support from Paolo Virzì and others. The documentary was shown in special screenings, including a presentation at the Rome Film Fest 2024.

• It won the Green Globe award at Globi d'Oro 2025, which recognizes cinematographic works with strong environmental content.

Final Verdict: A Documentary That Demands Attention & Conversation

Come se non ci fosse un domani is not just a film—it’s a heartfelt, sometimes uncomfortable mirror held up to society. It celebrates urgency, shows conflict, but doesn’t shy away from cost. For audiences interested in climate justice, civil change, or seeing activists not as distant symbols but as people, this documentary is essential. It may not provide all answers, but it clarifies the stakes—and the courage needed.