Domestic Violence in Cinema: What Two 2023 Films Reveal About Marriage and Power
When two movies from the same year portray the same problems situated in two different time periods, different circumstances, and countries, they serve as a reminder of a seriously flawed societal system that we still live in.
Two Films, Two Historical Contexts
Samo kad se smijem, 2023 (Only When I Laugh) is a Croatian–Serbian co-production film set in a Croatian coastal town on the Adriatic Sea in modern times and C'è ancora domani, 2023 (There's Still Tomorrow) is set in Italian capital Rome in the immediate post-World War II era. Even though the two movies seem very different at first glance, they have something in common. To find out what two films share, stay with me until the end.
To understand the issues two motion pictures raise I will provide a brief summary of both movies; Croatian feature shows an almost perfect picture of young couple’s marriage, young woman Tina being a housewife taking care of her six-year-old daughter and her husband Frane being the breadwinner of the family. Soon dynamic starts to change when Tina (Tihana Lazović) expresses desire to return to college after dropping out because of the pregnancy. At first, Frane (Slavko Sobin) agrees and shows support. Shortly after, complaints and sabotage begin and the real marriage starts to reveal itself. It is also important to note that the film was inspired by the true events.
Italian period comedy-drama revolves around a working-class woman named Delia (Paola Cortellesi) that dreams of a better future for herself and her daughter Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano) while facing abuse from her husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea). When mysterious letter arrives, it gives Delia courage to change the circumstances of her and her daughter’s life.
Domestic Violence and Structural Inequality
Both films explore gender roles, marriage expectations and domestic violence. While set in modern times, Croatian movie depicts reality that a lot of women still face today. The non-existence of financial stability, fear of judgment, shame and fear that the victim will not be believed are one of the reasons that women stay in unhealthy marriages like the one we see in Samo kad se smijem. Those fears enable abusers to continue the mistreatment without the consequences. In the case of our motion picture the consequence happens in the most tragic way where self-defense is treated as the murder and the wife ends up sentenced to prison.
Post-War Patriarchy in C'è ancora domani
The situation Italian movie depicts reminds us what happens when society nurtures specific ideas about gender roles in families. Where the man is often expected to serve as Pater Familias and wife to be submissive and obedient. That kind of dynamic is shown in both couple’s marriages. The power imbalance demonstrated in the two movies often leads to control, manipulation, sabotage and abuse. That environment oftentimes creates resentment, anger and self-esteem issues in victims.
Women’s Suffrage and Social Change
C'è ancora domani also emphasizes the importance of women’s rights. Delia’s mysterious letter gives her strength to change the path of her daughter’s life when she gives Marcella money to attend school instead of buying her a wedding dress. The opportunity that Delia never had. Moreover, the peculiar letter that Delia got was the right to vote in a political election. Italian women were granted the right to vote in 1945 and on June 2, 1946, were granted the right to vote at the national level.
Though rights to vote may seem distant past, it is a reminder how long women before us had to fight to grant the right to not only vote, but to have the rights to education, to bodily autonomy, and to simply choose to live the life the way they want.
Conclusion
Although Samo kad se smijem and C'è ancora domani take place in different historical periods, they ultimately point toward the persistence of deeply rooted social structures that shape gender relations. The Croatian film shows that even in contemporary societies, traditional expectations about marriage, motherhood, and female obedience can still influence how domestic conflicts and violence are perceived and addressed.
At the same time, the Italian film reminds viewers how recently women gained fundamental political rights. The right to vote in Italy, achieved only after the Second World War, symbolized an important step toward political participation and social recognition. Yet political rights alone did not immediately dismantle patriarchal family structures that limited women’s autonomy within private life.
Seen together, the two films illustrate how the private sphere of marriage often reflects broader social norms about power, authority, and gender roles. While the historical circumstances differ, both narratives reveal how unequal expectations within family structures can produce environments in which control, manipulation, and violence become normalized.
In that sense, the films serve not only as stories about individual women but also as reflections of the societies in which they live. They remind us that progress in women’s rights is not a single historical moment but an ongoing process that requires continuous social awareness, legal protection, and cultural change.
#internationalwomensday #womensrights #equality #domesticviolence #samokadsesmijemfilmanalysis #onlywhenilaughfilmanalysis #ceancoradomanifilmanalysis #theresstilltomorrowfilmanalysis #history #contemporaryhistory #1945 #secondworldwar #20century #21century
Sources:
C'è ancora domani, 2023, Wildside and Vision Distribution
Samo kad se smijem, 2023, Maxima Film
R. Emerson Dobash, Russell P. Dobash, “Women’s Violence to Men in Intimate Relationships”, Violence Against Women, 2004
Myrna Dawson, “Domestic Homicides and Femicide”, Sociology Compass, 2017