Cetto c’è, senzadubbiamente (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story unfolds across three main locations: Germany where Cetto has rebuilt his life with his wife Petra, Marina di Sopra in Italy where his son Melo serves as mayor and the political schemes unfold, and Portugal where Cetto's arranged marriage to the Infanta takes place, connecting the monarchic fantasy to European traditions.

• settings
• locations
• Marina di Sopra
• Germany
• Portugal

The film explores three interconnected themes: Monarchy as a pursuit of power that bypasses democratic limits, Identity and lineage as tools for legitimacy through DNA and royal blood claims, and Political Satire that lampoons Italian politics and populist leadership through schemes, staged ceremonies, and manipulated campaigns.

• themes
• monarchy
• identity
• political satire
• satire

Cetto La Qualunque is a flamboyant, power-hungry former politician portrayed by Antonio Albanese. He returns to his birthplace with delusions of monarchy, pursuing royal restoration with reckless confidence using charm and manipulation to enlist supporters. His vanity and opportunism drive the entire narrative.

• Cetto La Qualunque
• main character
• protagonist
• Antonio Albanese

The film presents monarchy as a vehicle to bypass democratic limits, with characters engineering royal succession through alliances, intrigue, and propaganda. The referendum becomes theatrical populist theater rather than genuine political debate, exposing how royal ambition intertwines with personal relationships and political manipulation.

• monarchy
• royal
• power
• throne
• coronation

The political satire critiques Italian politics and populist leadership by showing how democracy is treated as a stage for manipulation rather than governance. The narrative mocks gilded rhetoric, media savvy, and the fragility of institutions when confronted with charisma and vanity, using farce to invite reflection on power's lure.

• political satire
• Italian politics
• populism
• democracy
• satire

Petra is Cetto's wife who accompanies him through the early marriage and political upheavals. She ultimately leaves Cetto to marry the Infanta, promising revenge, and later wounds him, symbolizing how personal ties become entangled with royal ambition and revealing the limits of loyalty in a world of power games.

• Petra
• wife
• character
• Caterina Shulha

Venanzio dal Verme is a Count and master manipulator portrayed by Gianfelice Imparato who pushes Cetto toward royal ambitions. He orchestrates the schemes to seize power and goes so far as to feign DNA results to control the monarchy plan's outcome and keep Cetto deceived about the referendum's true stakes.

• Venanzio dal Verme
• manipulator
• schemer
• villain
• Gianfelice Imparato

The identity theme revolves around DNA tests and revelations about royal blood that push Cetto toward self-made legitimacy. Characters manipulate bloodlines to claim authority, exposing how noble birth can be a tool for political power. The feigned DNA result demonstrates how identity is weaponized in political games.

• identity
• DNA
• lineage
• bloodline
• royal heritage

Melo La Qualunque is Cetto's son, now mayor of Marina di Sopra, portrayed by Davide Giordano. He becomes a figurehead and tool in the family's political scheming, with his electoral maneuvers and alliances revealing how nepotism and family ties influence local power structures.

• Melo La Qualunque
• mayor
• son
• Marina di Sopra
• nepotism

Cardinale Alfonso Maria Bandinelli, portrayed by Luigi Petrucci, is a powerful church figure who lends legitimacy to the monarchy plan. He embodies the church's influence in Italian politics and helps frame the wedding and royal bid within broader traditional authority structures.

• Cardinale Bandinelli
• church
• Vatican
• authority
• religion

The Two Calabrias project represents one of the film's satirical political schemes, part of the broader farce that critiques Italian political ambitions and regional governance. It exemplifies the comedic absurdity through which the film examines power dynamics and political maneuvering.

• Two Calabrias
• project
• political scheme
• Calabria