Il Futuro
Il Futuro (The Future) is a 2013 drama film directed by Alicia Scherson, based on Roberto Bolaño’s novel Una novelita lumpen. It stars Manuela Martelli and Rutger Hauer and was shot in Italy, Chile and Germany as a co‑production of Italy, Chile, Germany and Spain.
Told in the future, Bianca describes how she and her brother Tomas become orphans after their parents die in a car accident in Italy. Because of bureaucratic hurdles, they can’t access their mother’s pension and must rely on their father’s money. Bianca begins an apprenticeship at a hair salon, while Tomas drops out of school to work out at a gym and befriends two local trainers who move in with them.
The trainers soon pressure Bianca and Tomas to seduce and rob a retired, wealthy actor and bodybuilder named Maciste, who is blind and reclusive. Bianca and Tomas grow closer to Maciste; Bianca falls in love, but he doesn’t return her feelings. After a failed gym competition, the trainers push Bianca to steal again. One night, while Maciste is sick, Bianca searches his locked mansion but finds nothing of value. She leaves, the trainers depart, and she returns home to find no news reports about Maciste.
Il Futuro premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and opened in Chile on June 6, 2013. It received strong reviews: Rotten Tomatoes shows 87% positive from 15 critics and Metacritic assigns a score of 80. Critics praised its mood, visual style and the performances. Manuela Martelli’s work earned a nomination for an Altazor Award.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:50 (CET).