The concept of "Notte prima degli esami" is endlessly repeatable Twenty years after the first film, its 3.0 version is released
The core idea behind Notte prima degli esami is infinitely repeatable. In any place and at any time, the formula can recur unchanged while shifting its core, yet always remaining anchored to its main concept: the imminent arrival of the final exams and the rite of passage from being more or less a child to becoming more or less an adult.
The first film of what is now a trilogy was released in 2006, but set in 1989. The song it takes its title from, the timeless classic by Antonello Venditti, was actually released five years earlier, in 1984, and the character played by Cristiana Capotondi is named Claudia, a direct reference to the lyrics of the Roman singer’s track.
Choosing to set the film at the crossroads between the end of one decade and the beginning of another, while still placing it twenty years before its production period, allowed the screenwriters (the same trio: Fausto Brizzi, also the director, Massimiliano Bruno and Marco Martani) to create a second film set in their present. This is why the sequel includes that “today” in its title, marking a specific moment in time, which was the here and now at the moment of its release in 2007. It once again told, albeit in a revised and updated way, the story of a high school student in his final year and the series of life events that get in his way.
Something has changed, but not too much
@01distribution Ogni generazione ha la sua #NottePrimaDegliEsami. Arriva al cinema dal 19 marzo "Notte prima degli esami 3.0", la nuova avventura di un gruppo di liceali alla vigilia della maturità: tra amori segreti, tradimenti, amicizie e piani disperati per ingannare la prof più temuta della scuola. Regia di Tommaso Renzoni con Sabrina Ferilli, Tommaso Cassissa, Adriano Moretti, Alice Lupparelli e Alice Maselli. Nel cast anche Ditonellapiaga, Aleandro Falciglia, Bea Barret, Christian Dei, Teresa Piergentili, Pascale Reynaud, con la partecipazione di Sebastiano Somma e con Gian Marco Tognazzi e la partecipazione straordinaria di Antonello Venditti. Prodotto da Fulvio e Federica Lucisano. Una produzione Italian International Film con Rai Cinema. Ministero della Cultura - Opera realizzata e distribuita con il contributo del Fondo per lo Sviluppo degli Investimenti nel Cinema e nell’Audiovisivo. #CinemaTok #davedere #cinemaitaliano #trailerufficiale audio originale - 01 Distribution
In both cases, the protagonist was not only played by Nicolas Vaporidis, but even shared the same name. Luca Molinari exists both in his 1980s version and in his early 2000s echo, where the struggles remain the same, but the narratives attempt to reflect the time in which they are set. This is what has made Notte prima degli esami a capsule one can enter to move back and forth in time, and why placing it in 2026 can mean finding a way for the story to adapt once again. And indeed, Notte prima degli esami 3.0 finds its reason to exist in this renewed reinterpretation, once again written by Brizzi, this time alongside Tommaso Renzoni, who also directs the film.
The 3.0 version
.@ditonellapiaga con il cast di “Notte prima degli esami 3.0”. pic.twitter.com/bnVSvJCcHo
— Dito Update (@ditoupdate) March 11, 2026
As times change, so do the characters. And not only because Nicolas Vaporidis is no longer the right age to pass as a high school student, even though he was already twenty-five when the first film came out. In Notte prima degli esami 3.0, the lead role is played by Tommaso Cassissa, aka Tommycassi, who rose on YouTube and gained further popularity on social media. Acting had always been part of his plans, leading him to debut in a short film in 2022, his first feature film in 2024, and even to portray Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2025 Italian musical Prova a prendermi. Like Vaporidis before him, he is also twenty-six in real life.
If in the past it was the charm of Nicolas Vaporidis that drew in a young audience, alongside a cast that reflected the interests of viewers raised on Italia Uno and Disney Channel, today’s strategy is to attract new generations through familiar faces from the platforms they use daily, hoping to drive fans from their phones into cinemas. Despite this production logic, which fits well with what Notte prima degli esami represents, the film’s content and structure remain as classic as expected. And that is precisely why it works just as the first did, and could work again if remade in another twenty years.
Did we need it?
Notte prima degli esami 3.0 looks at today’s youth, while still adhering to traditional narrative structures. It tries to mirror the reality it portrays, while at the same time becoming a story that repeats itself, reworking its content each time. It may not be a brilliant comedy, and it certainly lacks the polish of the first film, which, thanks to its resonance and support, received eleven nominations at the David di Donatello, winning Best New Director for Fausto Brizzi.
The actors, however, are convincing enough, which does half the work, with Tommaso Cassissa and Sabrina Ferilli effectively following in the footsteps of Nicolas Vaporidis and Giorgio Faletti. And a few laughs, especially thanks to the grandmother played by Teresa Piergentili and her tempura rice (supplì), do come through, even if the film portrays today’s generation through a lens that feels too narrow.
All that remains is to see whether young audiences, especially those approaching or having just completed their final exams, will be won over by Notte prima degli esami 3.0, and to find out what the public response will be. Interest does not seem particularly strong ahead of its release, making it unlikely for the film to become a major event, but ultimately, the final word always belongs to the box office.
