I’ll Be Going Now 1991
I’ll Be Going Now Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for I’ll Be Going Now (1991). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Augusto Vittorio Gassman returns to his Rome home after eighteen years in a psychiatric clinic, now under the care of his daughter-in-law Carla Dominique Sanda. Divorced long ago, she lives there with her lover Giorgio Maurizio Fardo, his twelve-year-old daughter, and Rosa Valentina Holtkamp, Carla’s nine-year-old daughter and Augusto’s granddaughter. Augustan is a bright man who has known loneliness and bullying, and he quickly forms a quiet, healing bond with Rosa, the granddaughter he has never truly met.
Before his commitment, Augusto was the manager of a large bank. When he drops by to pay a few household bills, he is recognized and greeted with warmth by his former colleagues. His old secretary offers to drive him home, but instead invites him to her flat, cooks lunch, and then makes advances toward him, prompting Augusto to flee. Back at his house, Carla and Giorgio host a drinks party for business associates. Augusto wanders in, looking for a magazine, and bluntly insults a client of Giorgio’s, who leaves in disgust. A psychiatrist who hosts a TV show is among the guests, and she invites Augusto to appear on it, creating a new, uncertain spotlight in his life.
In the bar, just before the show goes on the air, Augusto encounters Alcide Elliott Gould, an old roommate from the clinic who now lives with a prostitute on a farmhouse outside the city. The two men disrupt the broadcast in a crude, impulsive moment that leads to the show being pulled, much to Carla and Giorgio’s distress as they watch at home.
Carnival time arrives, and Rosa’s school hosts a party in fancy dress. Augusto accompanies her to bring her home, and the pair wander the city streets, where they meet a homeless man and invite him into a bar for conversation and warmth. After a glass of red wine, Rosa falls asleep, and when Augusto carries her home, Carla erupts in a threat of re-committal.
To avoid this fate, Augusto flees to Alcide’s farmhouse, leaving his address with Rosa. A few days later, Rosa herself follows, having been threatened with boarding school and longing for the grandfather she adores. A police search for the missing man and child ensues, and they are eventually traced and returned home. Rosa is sent away to boarding school, while Augusto finds a small room of his own. Months later, when he visits Rosa, her affection for him has matured, but she has become drawn to a handsome young cousin she has met. Augusto realizes that she must grow into her own life and that he must learn to live with his own solitude.
I’ll Be Going Now Timeline
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Augusto returns to his Rome home after 18 years in a psychiatric clinic
After 18 years in a psychiatric clinic, Augusto returns to his home in Rome under the care of his daughter-in-law Carla. He meets the household that now includes Carla's lover Giorgio, his 12-year-old daughter, and Rosa, Augusto's granddaughter who has grown up without him. The reunion is tense but full of potential as old shadows collide with new family dynamics.
Former secretary exploits Augusto and drives him to her flat
While paying some household bills, Augusto is recognized by his former secretary who pretends to help. She drives him to her flat, cooks him lunch, and then makes a pass at him. Augusto flees to escape a compromising situation.
Drinks party at Augusto's house ends in embarrassment
Giorgio and Carla host a drinks party for business associates while Augusto wanders in looking for a magazine. He insults a client, who storms out in disgust, souring the evening. The disruptive mood foreshadows the fragile balance of the household.
TV show invitation from the visiting psychiatrist
A psychiatrist who hosts a TV show invites Augusto to appear on the program. The invitation signals a potential public spotlight for him, tense with his uneven adjustment. The prospect unsettles Carla and Giorgio as well.
Bar pre-show disruption with Alcide
In the bar before the show airs, Augusto meets Alcide, his old clinic roommate who now lives with a prostitute on a farmhouse outside the city. The two disrupt the program, causing chaos and a hastily pulled episode. Carla and Giorgio, watching at home, are further alarmed by his behavior.
Carnival night and Rosa's school party
During carnival time, Rosa's school hosts a fancy-dress party, and Augusto goes to bring her home. They navigate crowded streets and the watchful eyes of the city as he protects her. The outing marks the deepening bond between the grandfather and Rosa.
Encounter with a homeless man and Rosa's sleep
On the way, they encounter a homeless man and invite him into a bar for conversation and warmth. After a glass of red wine, Rosa falls asleep and Augusto carries her home. Carla confronts him, threatening committal to a distant institution if he oversteps.
Augusto flees to Alcide's farmhouse
To escape the threat of commitment and confinement, Augusto runs away to Alcide's farmhouse, leaving his address with Rosa. The pair seek refuge where they can exist outside the ordinary rules of society. The bond between grandfather and granddaughter hardens while they hide.
Rosa joins him; police search and return home
After a few days, Rosa joins Augusto at the farmhouse to avoid boarding school. A police search for the missing pair ensues, and they are eventually traced and brought back home. The family resumes a fragile balance, but the threat of separation lingers.
Rosa sent to boarding school; Augusto takes a room
Rosa is sent off to a distant boarding school, while Augusto finds a room of his own in the city. The separation marks a new, solitary phase for him as he adjusts to life without the daily contact of Rosa. He remains a quiet observer of the family from a renewed, distant place.
Months later, Augusto visits Rosa
Some months later, Augusto visits Rosa and sees that her love for him remains, though her affections have begun to shift toward a handsome young cousin. He realises she must grow into her own life and that his own life must change accordingly. The visit underscores the bittersweet distance between them.
Augusto accepts a solitary life
As Rosa continues her life beyond the grandfather's doorstep, Augusto understands that he must remain on his own. He accepts the quiet solitude of his new room and the evolving, independent future for his granddaughter. The story closes on a note of tempered hope and separation.
I’ll Be Going Now Characters
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Augusto Scribani (Vittorio Gassman)
A former bank manager who spent 18 years in a psychiatric clinic. He returns to Rome seeking connection and a sense of family, challenging the household’s routines. His calm, reflective nature masks a longing for reconciliation with the past and a place to belong. He must confront the limits of care and the reality that family life continues to move forward without him.
Carla (Dominique Sanda)
Augusto’s daughter-in-law who lives with her lover Giorgio and raises his two children. She organizes the household and hosts social events, balancing care with practical and emotional strain. Her modern, independent stance clashes with Augusto’s old-world expectations, creating a delicate dynamic of dependency and distance. She embodies the tensions of a changing Italian family.
Alcide (Elliott Gould)
Augusto’s old roommate from the clinic who now lives with a prostitute in a farmhouse outside the city. He becomes a companion and foil for Augusto, offering blunt honesty and a different path from the conventional family life. Their interactions reveal a friendship born from shared confinement and a longing for freedom. He symbolizes alternative, non-traditional routes to care and companionship.
Rosa (Valentina Holtkamp)
A bright but lonely 9-year-old who forms a deep bond with Augusto, her grandfather. She is bullied at school and threatened with boarding school, yet her affection for Augusto reveals her capacity for love and resilience. Her growing attachment to Augusto challenges the adults to reconsider what family means. She represents innocence, hope, and the need for genuine connection.
Giorgio (Maurizio Fardo)
Carla’s lover and the father figure to Rosa’s half-siblings (through Carla). He hosts business gatherings and navigates the tensions between work, love, and family obligations. His presence tests Augusto’s desire for a simple, loving relationship with Rosa and the stability of Carla's life. He embodies the conflict between material success and emotional intimacy.
I’ll Be Going Now Settings
Learn where and when I’ll Be Going Now (1991) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
Late 20th century
Set in a contemporary Rome of its era, the story relies on modern elements like a TV talk show and a bustling social scene. The mood reflects postwar Italian society grappling with aging, independence, and changing family dynamics. The 18 years Augusto spent in a psychiatric clinic anchor the drama in a period when social attitudes toward mental health and family care were shifting.
Location
Rome
The film unfolds in Rome, using its urban streets, homes, and bars to frame a story about family life in contemporary Italy. Key scenes move between Augusto's restored home, a fashionable bar, and a farmhouse in the countryside outside the city, highlighting the city's reach into every corner of personal life. The outskirts provide a quiet counterpoint to the city’s social bustle, where Augusto seeks solitude and connection.
I’ll Be Going Now Themes
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Aging & Family
Augusto's return after 18 years reveals the fragility and resilience of family ties across generations. The bond with his granddaughter Rosa highlights the loneliness and longing that accompany old age. The film portrays aging not as decline alone but as a catalyst for renewed human connection. It explores how memory and care shape family identity.
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Independence
Augusto seeks to rejoin life on his own terms, testing the boundaries of home, care, and autonomy. Rosa’s growing attachment to her grandfather forces Carla and Giorgio to reassess their own needs and responsibilities. The narrative frames independence as a delicate balance between belonging and freedom. Ultimately, Augusto learns that belonging may require letting others grow into their own lives.
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Social Masks
The party at Carla and Giorgio's home and the televised appearance of Augusto expose the performative aspects of bourgeois life. Characters navigate appearances, reputation, and desire, often clashing with private realities. The film uses social rituals to critique hypocrisy and to show how people protect themselves behind social fronts. The contrast between public performance and private vulnerability drives much of the drama.
I’ll Be Going Now Spoiler-Free Summary
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In post‑war Rome, a city that hums with both lingering austerity and restless modernity, Augusto Scrivani steps out of a psychiatric institution after eighteen solitary years. Once a respectable bank manager, his return is less a triumphant homecoming than a tentative re‑entry into a world that has continued without him. The film opens on the quiet tension of a house that has learned to function in his absence, inviting the audience into a domestic landscape that feels both familiar and fragile.
Living under his roof is Carla, his former daughter‑in‑law, whose marriage has dissolved into an uneasy coexistence with her lover Giorgio. Together they raise two children, including Rosa, the nine‑year‑old granddaughter who has never known her grandfather’s presence. The delicate bond that begins to spark between them hints at a tender, if tentative, reconnection, while the adult relationships around them crackle with unspoken grievances and the weight of unfulfilled promises.
The tone of the story is unmistakably melancholic, underscored by Vittorio Gassman’s raw, emotionally strained performance. The camera lingers on moments of quiet absurdity—a bureaucratic world still recognizing Augusto’s former status, the lingering smell of institutional routine clashing with the home’s everyday clamor. Through subtle glances and measured dialogue, the film paints a portrait of a man trying to reclaim his dignity amid a household that has reshaped itself around his long‑gone shadow.
Against this backdrop, the narrative sways between the yearning for renewal and the stubborn grip of the past. The audience is left to wonder how Augusto will navigate the delicate balance of belonging and autonomy, while the ever‑present Roman streets echo with the possibility of both redemption and further isolation.
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