This is a cautionary tale of an upper middle class couple whose life is going down the toilet. The husband Michelle has been forced out of his successful business by his partners but keeps the secret from his wife. Unaware, she continues to work with passion toward her degree in art. He throws an extravagant surprise birthday party for her, and this will be the last day of happiness for both of them.
He drops the bombshell the next morning: I haven't worked for two months, we need to sell cancel our vacation to Asia, let go of the maid, sell our sailboat, and move to a smaller and more affordable place.
Like a dinosaur unable to deal with a climate change, the husband pretends with friends and his daughter that everything is fine. He passes up an opportunity for a meaningful but lower paying management position and sinks into depression as he is forced to accept entry level and temporary jobs. Meanwhile, his wife is trying her best to make this miserable situation work.
A strong but relentlessly grim movie to watch as the couples lives crumble around them. The beautiful city of Genoa has never looked worse as we are immersed in back alleys and scenes of industrial sprawl.
