With or Without You

Actress Alice (Elena Radonicich) and musician Tommaso (Guido Caprino) have been together for fifteen years – never married, with no children and without standout careers. They live in Rome, where they have bought an apartment, and a mortgage is the only real commitment they have made.

When their friends receive an invite to dinner at their place, they think they’re going to announce an engagement. But instead, the long-term couple announces their decision to break up, but do it gradually, and stay friends in the process. It’s a legitimate aspiration on their part, but a naïve one, and contrasts with reality and the unspoken rule that relationships end because people change, and no change is painless.

The feature directorial debut of successful screenwriter Stefano Sardo, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Valentina Gaia based on their novel Una Relazione, With or Without You is a realistic and delicate reflection on the end of a relationship.