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The arithmetic of loss is deceptively simple. For Marta, a Roman teacher, life is first halved by the abrupt departure of her partner, Antonio. A familiar story of domestic unraveling. Soon after, a terminal diagnosis presents a final, absolute subtraction. Isabel Coixet’s film, Three Goodbyes, positions itself at this bleak intersection of crises.
It sidesteps the mechanics of melodrama to pose a more difficult question: when faced with two distinct forms of finality, one of the heart and one of the body, how does a person recalibrate their existence? The film’s mood is one of quiet contemplation, a meditation on time and choice. Adapted from Michela Murgia’s novel, the narrative carries the weight of lived experience, lending an authentic gravity to its philosophical inquiry. It sets a stage not for a fight against death, but for a renegotiation with life.
The Architecture of a Soul
Marta’s evolution forms the film’s difficult, luminous center. The breakup initially plunges her into a state of near-total negation, a psychological void where identity, once defined by partnership, has collapsed. She haunts her own apartment, a study in absence, retreating from a world that no longer makes sense.
Then comes the diagnosis. In a lesser film, this would be a second, crushing blow. Coixet, however, treats it as a paradoxical catalyst, a severe and unwelcome form of liberation. The prognosis, by imposing a definitive temporal limit, shatters the illusion of an infinite future and forces a radical confrontation with the present. It is a grim sort of gift.
Alba Rohrwacher’s performance is a masterclass in physical storytelling, capturing this profound internal shift with minimal dialogue. Her achievement is in charting a soul’s recalibration through corporeal language. She conveys the initial weight of grief in the slump of her shoulders, then signals the change with the slightest tilt of her head or a faint, enigmatic smile that holds both sorrow and a strange new awareness.
We see her walk through Rome with a different gait, slower and more deliberate, as if she is absorbing the texture of the ancient stones for the first time. She listens to a colleague with an unblinking stillness that is entirely new. Marta begins to live with a newfound directness, her interactions stripped of social pretense. Her search for connection becomes an act of quiet urgency.
A Tender and Textured Gaze
Isabel Coixet’s direction is an exercise in sensorial patience, prioritizing emotional atmosphere over narrative propulsion. The film is gentle where it could be severe, observant where it could be intrusive. This sensibility is perfectly matched by the cinematography, which was shot on 35mm film.
The choice is significant. Celluloid imparts a tangible grain and a warm, soft aesthetic that digital formats struggle to replicate. This is not a crisp, hyper-real Rome; it is a city of memory, light, and feeling, rendered with a painterly quality.
The film stock’s physical texture, its visible grain, mirrors the story’s focus on Marta’s heightened awareness of her own body and the tangible world. The camera’s intimate, lingering close-ups draw the viewer into her subjective perspective, creating an immersive experience of her altered perception.
The screenplay’s primary strength lies in its use of Marta’s inner monologues, which provide moving insights without over-explaining her state of mind. The pacing is deliberately unhurried, especially in the first act, forcing the audience to inhabit Marta’s initial stasis. A truly curious element, a life-size K-pop idol cutout, stands silent witness in her apartment.
This surreal object, a detail from the source novel, functions as a modern icon of manufactured perfection dropped into a world of messy reality. It is a safe, non-judgmental interlocutor for her unspoken thoughts, a whimsical yet poignant symbol of profound solitude. It is a piece of studied absurdity that highlights the strange mechanics of human coping.
Orbits of Grief and Grace
Marta’s journey does not occur in a vacuum. The film sketches the world around her with deft, economical strokes, creating a small universe of reactions to her crisis. Her former partner, Antonio, is given his own parallel narrative of loss, a counterpoint to Marta’s transformation. Portrayed with a subtle, simmering confusion by Elio Germano, Antonio externalizes his grief.
He pours his energy into the precise, material demands of his restaurant kitchen, a world of heat, steam, and demanding American tourists. His path is one of distraction and professional ambition, a sharp contrast to Marta’s quiet internalization. The film offers no judgment, merely an observation of two divergent paths from a shared point of rupture.
The supporting cast provides an essential ballast, grounding Marta’s experience. Francesco Carril, as her colleague Agostino, radiates a steady, unassuming warmth. He represents a form of connection based on simple presence, a quiet companionship that proves more resilient than the grand passions that preceded it.
Sarita Choudhury offers a grounding, dignified presence as the doctor who delivers the life-altering news. These relationships illuminate the film’s central idea, reflected in its title. It explores three distinct farewells: to a lover, to a former self, and ultimately, to life. It is an emotionally resonant work about the possibility of finding grace within finality.
“Three Goodbyes” is a romantic drama film directed by Isabel Coixet and co-written with Enrico Audenino. It is based on the book by Michela Murgia. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2025. It is an Italian-Spanish co-production. It is set to be distributed in Italy by Vision Distribution on October 9, 2025, and in Spain by BTeam Pictures on February 13, 2026. The story is about a couple who split up after a trivial argument, and the film follows their separate paths as they cope with the breakup.
Full Credits
Director: Isabel Coixet
Writers: Isabel Coixet, Enrico Audenino
Producers and Executive Producers: Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni Stabilini, Francesca Longardi, Carlo Gavaudan, Marco Miana, Massimo Di Rocco, Luigi Napoleone, Marisa Fernández Armenteros, Sandra Hermida, Alex Lafuente
Cast: Alba Rohrwacher, Elio Germano, Silvia D’Amico, Galatea Bellugi, Francesco Carril, Sarita Choudhury
Director of Photography (Cinematographer): Guido Michelotti
Editors: Jordi Azategui
Composer: Alfonso Vilallonga
The Review
Three Goodbyes
Three Goodbyes is a work of profound tenderness and quiet intelligence. It forgoes melodrama for a deeply sensorial and philosophical examination of life in the face of finality. Anchored by a masterful, physically expressive performance from Alba Rohrwacher and captured through beautiful 35mm cinematography, the film is a moving, contemplative experience. While its deliberate pacing may test some viewers, its emotional resonance and thoughtful approach to its difficult subject matter are undeniable. It is a mature, artful, and deeply affecting piece of cinema.
PROS
- A commanding and physically nuanced lead performance that serves as the film's emotional core.
- Isabel Coixet's gentle, observational style creates an intimate atmosphere and skillfully avoids sentimentality.
- The use of warm 35mm film gives the movie a rich, textured, and nostalgic quality.
- A thoughtful and mature exploration of grief, mortality, and the process of self-discovery.
CONS
- The narrative's contemplative and unhurried pace, especially in the first act, might feel slow to some.
- Certain narrative devices, like the K-pop idol cutout, can come across as slightly puzzling or not fully integrated.
- Viewers seeking a more plot-driven or conventionally dramatic story may find the film's quietness challenging.
