Un Dernier pour la Route (Le città di pianura) is an Italian feature film directed by Francesco Sossai, who co-wrote the screenplay with Adriano Candiago. Selected for Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, this marks the director's debut on the Croisette. Led by Filippo Scotti, Pierpaolo Capovilla, and Sergio Romano, the dramatic comedy hits French theaters on April 8, 2026.
Carlobianchi and Doriano are two middle-aged men with limited means, whose lives revolve around one obsession: finding the perfect spot to enjoy their final drink. Their everyday life is a never-ending series of nocturnal wanderings, from bar to bar, along the roads of Veneto—a constant motion that feels both like a retreat from reality and a monotonous routine.
One night, they encounter Giulio, a reserved architecture student whose once firm beliefs start to waver in the presence of these two unpredictable and larger-than-life figures. What begins as a casual night morphs into a drunken escapade filled with confidences, disillusionments, and unexpected impulses, gradually reshaping Giulio’s perspective on the world, love, and his own future.
Through this nocturnal road movie, the film delves into the unintended transfer of memories between generations, the fear of stagnation, and the deep-rooted need to still believe in new possibilities, even later in life.
The official trailer will be added as soon as it is released by the distributor.
A Last Drink Before the Road fits into a strand of contemporary Italian cinema that focuses on marginalized figures and everyday journeys. During the Cannes press conference on April 10, Thierry Frémaux, Director General of the Cannes Film Festival, described the film as “a road movie,” adding that the title literally refers to a drink and captures the sense of aimless male wandering without a clear destination.
Shot mainly in Italy’s Veneto region, the film features a naturalistic style of filmmaking, emphasizing dialogue and silence alike. Francesco Sossai continues his intimate exploration of the characters, a sensibility evident in his previous short films, by observing battered lives without judgment or sentimentality.
With its deliberately laid-back pace and subtle humor, the film appeals to fans of dramedies and stories centered around chance encounters. Its tone may remind viewers of a cinema rooted in wandering and reflection, reminiscent of works by Paolo Virzì or early films by Gianni Di Gregorio, where dialogue and the passage of time drive the narrative forward.
A Final Stop Before the Road
Film | 2026
In theaters from: April 8, 2026
Dramedy | Runtime: 1h40
Directed by Francesco Sossai | Starring Filippo Scotti, Sergio Romano, Pierpaolo Capovilla
Original title: Le città di pianura
Country: Italy
In A Last Ride Home, Francesco Sossai crafts a story of travel and connection, where intoxication serves both as a driving force for the narrative and as a window into human vulnerability, set against the backdrop of a nocturnal Italy filmed from a human perspective.
To keep the movie experience going, check out the April cinema releases, discover the must-see films of the moment, and browse our curated list of the most notable dramedies of the year.
