The Last One for the Road

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Francesco Sossai directs. Massimiliano Kuveiller behind the camera. Krano scores. Paolo Cottignola cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy, Germany. Dialogue in Italian, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released last year.
• 2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, Japanese.
• 3International production across 2 countries: Italy, Germany.
• 4Directed by Francesco Sossai, shot by Massimiliano Kuveiller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Krano. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Paolo Cottignola shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Filippo Scotti and Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla carry the top of the cast.
• 8IMDB entry: tt36491632 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography

Massimiliano Kuveiller

Original score

Krano

Editing

Paolo Cottignola

Production design

Paula Meuthen

Costume design

Ilaria Marmugi

Makeup / hair

Fenix Guzman

Sound

Sebastian Pablo Poloni

Runtime

98 min · 1h 38m

Status

Released

Original language

IT

Certification (US)

NR

IMDB

The Last One for the Road (2025) ↗

Also by

Francesco Sossai

• 
  Other Cannibals

  2021 · ★ 6.8
• 
  The Birthday Party

  2023 · ★ 6.3

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer [Subtitled]

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Brent Marchant2026-05-03
  ★ 2/10

  When a filmmaker’s reach exceeds his grasp, that’s when you end up with movies like this work of pretentious existential nonsense from writer-director Francesco Sossai. For roughly the first 45 minutes of this aimlessly meandering road trip/buddy flick, barflies Carlobianchi (Sergio Romano) and Doriano (Pierpaolo Capovilla) go in search of the evening’s “one last drink” at various roadside watering holes across northeastern Italy. They eventually set their sights on Venice, where they’re scheduled to meet their old friend and work colleague, Genio (Andrea Pennacchi), who’s flying in the following morning, returning to Italy after an extended self-imposed exile in Argentina. Along the way, the duo engages in a series of unfocused, largely pointless drinking-related encounters with assorted strangers, most notably a sheepish young architecture student, Giulio (Filippo Scotti), whom they take under their wing and adopt as a sort of reluctant hearty partying initiate. The trio thus continues on their inebriated merry way during which they seek out more wayward adventures, and, in the process, the ring leaders of this alcohol-soaked binge gradually share Genio’s story with their new pal, even though the details they provide remain somewhat sketchy, especially in terms of how they relate to the overall story. In essence, most of the rest of the narrative depicts Giulio’s emergence from his self-constructed shell in becoming “a man.” However, considering the questionable character of his decidedly disreputable role models, are they truly stand-up examples of something to which Guilio should aspire? Now, I have nothing against looking for a good time, but is their brand of drunken, unbridled hedonism something to emulate? By the time the end of this release finally rolls around, it’s easy to see how one might be ready to swear off drinking. Clearly, this offering doesn’t know what it’s trying to say, where it wants to go and how it’s seeking to get there. Much of the fault here rests squarely with the story and screenplay, both of which are ineptly constructed, partly because they desperately try to incorporate too much material and partly because they send dubious messages. What’s more, just when things start getting interesting – when the particulars of Genio’s story start to surface, after a seemingly endless 45 opening minutes – the faucet of details dries up all too quickly and is never really revisited in any substantive way. This 2025 Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard nominee also makes occasional seemingly valiant attempts at incorporating a measure of allegedly philosophical observations, mostly served up from the bottom of a shot glass, that largely collapse under the weight of their own vacuous insights. Indeed, “The Last One for the Road” might like to believe that it’s a source of profound wisdom when, in fact, it’s little more than a protracted exercise in calling for additional rounds of revelations that never surface.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Vivo Film

  IT

• 

  Maze Pictures

  DE

• 

  RAI Cinema

  IT

Key crew

• EditorPaolo Cottignola
• Production DesignPaula Meuthen
• Costume DesignIlaria Marmugi
• Costume DesignGuillem Soler Pou
• ProducerMarta Donzelli
• ProducerGregorio Paonessa
• Location ManagerGianluca Chiaretti
• Makeup Department HeadFenix Guzman
• First Assistant DirectorCiro Scognamiglio
• Sound Mix TechnicianFrancesco Tumminello
• Script SupervisorGabriella Gobber
• Sound DesignerSebastian Pablo Poloni
• SoundMarco Zambrano
• Co-ProducerPhilipp Kreuzer
• Co-ProducerCecilia Trautvetter
• Associate ProducerAlessio Lazzareschi
• Casting DirectorAdriano Candiago
• Associate ProducerAlessandro Roia

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• road movie

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2025-10-07· New York Film Festival
• Theatrical (limited)2026-05-01NR

Also known as

International titles

• The Last One for the RoadUS
• На посошокRU