Ten years ago, Anna (Greta Scarano) and Enrico (Simone Liberati) were married at an Italian registry office. Three months ago, Anna packed her bags, leaving behind a message pleading with Enrico to find a way that they could remain friends. Now a bitter custody battle looms over their ten-year-old son Pietro. Unconditional love has turned into all-out war: how did it all go wrong?
There’s a school of thought that says when a relationship ends you shouldn’t grieve what’s lost, but instead celebrate what you once had. Ever After says: why can’t we have both? As it explores the decade-long relationship between Anna and Enrico, we’re repeatedly shown both sides of what they had. It’s a celebration of the love that brought them together, and a sombre look at a present where it’s all just a memory.
For Pietro, his parents’ relationship is all he’s ever known. As Ever After digs deep into the drives and desires of Anna and Enrico, it’s the fate of Pietro that drives the story forward. It’s why the first character we meet is social worker Rosa (Claudia Pandolfi). She’s in the middle of organising a prison meeting between a convict and his young daughter when she’s given Pietro’s case. She’s a professional who deals with serious situations involving child safety: if she’s looking into what’s happening, it’s more than just another divorce.
The series takes us back to some of the key moments in the couple’s past. Source: Indigo Film
The first time we see Anna and Enrico together outside of their wedding video, they’re already breaking apart. Anna has just dropped off Pietro at football camp (with a long list of foods he can’t eat) and has returned home to grab her things before Enrico returns. She’s just putting the finishing touches to her farewell note when he walks in the door.
The dynamic between them is raw from the start. She still loves him but hates what her life has become. There’s no point talking or staying, because talking and staying is the problem. He still has hope, because without it he’s left with nothing. And to make matters a whole lot worse, it’s her birthday and he’s organised a surprise party for her. Her family, friends, colleagues – even Pietro will be there. Enrico gets her to come to the party; it’s the kind of temporary victory that will only drive a wedge deeper between them.
Simone Liberati and Greta Scarano as the unravelling husband and wife. Source: Indigo Film
Ever After doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to its two lead characters. Neither of them is close to perfect; in the present day they’re both wounded and lashing out, while in the past their deeper emotional issues come to the fore. The brief moments during the breakup when they can find the connection they once had only makes things more difficult to watch. The bond they once had isn’t gone, but the gulf between them is so wide they can’t find their way back.
Anna is haunted by the death of her own mother, a woman who was suffering from depression and whose body Anna found. She’s determined not to end up like that, and she thinks being trapped in a marriage that’s going nowhere can only lead her down that path. That said, it’s probably not the best idea to put that in writing when a custody hearing is in your future.
Enrico doesn’t seem to care that things aren’t working – he just wants to keep trying. But clinging onto a partner who’s already halfway out the door doesn’t make him a sympathetic figure, and it takes a little while for him to show more than just anger and desperation. He’s been content to run his bar and live a quiet life. If that’s no longer enough for his wife, he has to change or let her go.
Federico Ielapi as the couple’s son, Pietro. Source: Indigo Film
The chemistry between Scarano and Liberati is Ever After’s secret weapon. As written, their characters can be selfish, thoughtless, even brutal. Anna is throwing everything away, while Enrico often seems on the verge of violence. But the actors have a connection that goes beyond words. Their every scene together makes it clear there’s something still strong and vital between their characters.
But it looks like that isn’t going to be enough. The further Rosa digs into their past, the worse it looks. Her job isn’t to prove Anna and Enrico once loved each other, it’s to figure out what’s best for Pietro right now. As the custody battle goes on, secrets are revealed that reframe their past, first one way then the other, each parent forced to reveal things that could change their future.
Anna (Greta Scarano) and Enrico (Simone Liberati) with Rosa (Claudia Pandolfi) Source: Indigo Film / Fabrizio de Blasio
Throughout it all, one thing stays the same: if Pietro’s parents can’t make it work together, there’s a very strong chance Rosa will decide it’s time for all three – father, mother and child – to go their separate ways.
In the series’ Australian premiere, all six episodes of Ever After are streaming now .
