The Life Ahead

 Now for another film with some pedigree.

Romain Gary's novel La Vie Devant Soi (The Life Before Us) already saw cinematic life in 1977 as Madame Rosa, starring Simone Signoret as the title character. This new take, The Life Ahead, lets Edoardo Ponti direct his mother, Sophia Loren, as the aforementioned Madame Rosa. Let's see how it is.

Who is Madame Rosa? She's an ex-prostitute who now looks after the kids of other prostitutes. She's also a survivor of Auschwitz. One day, Momo (Ibrahima Gueye) steals some candlesticks from her. Momo is a Senegalese Muslim orphan of one such working woman. His caretaker, Dr. Cohen (Renato Carpentieri), is a friend of Madame Rosa. He recommends that she take Momo under her wing. Neither of them like that idea.

She finds him work with a Muslim storekeeper, Hamil (Babak Karimi). Hamil teaches Momo about their joint heritage and the works of Victor Hugo. Momo makes money as a drug seller; so he needs a Bishop to his Jean Valjean. Momo's time with Madame Rosa softens his outlook on life. Meanwhile, Madame Rosa isn't long for this world. She wants Momo to keep her away from the hospital.

She's a tough old woman with a hard past; he's a street smart kid with a hard present. It's a cliched story made fresh by its stars. Loren and Gueye play such engaging characters. They start off on the wrong foot, especially when Momo "apologizes" for the theft. But they soon come through for each other. It is devastating to see Madame Rosa catatonic from her trauma. It's more pleasing to see Momo turn his life around. A highlight of their supporting cast is Abril Zamora. She brings much needed levity as Lola, Madame Rosa's best friend and the parent of one of her charges.

There's much to see and hear in Italy. Angus Hudson's cinematography paints a tough portrait of seaside Italy; the yellow tint is pretty distinct. Editor Jacopo Quadri keeps the story going for 95 minutes. A highlight is seeing Momo ride the streets on a newly-purchased bike with an upbeat pop song playing ... only for him to get punched by a rival seller. Talk about mood whiplash. Speaking of music, the now Oscar-shortlisted score by Gabriel Yared really sells the emotional story. Even more so is the newly-awarded Golden Globe winning end credits song by Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, and Niccolò Agliardi. It's called Io Si, and it is also shortlisted for Oscar notice.

I don't know how The Life Ahead compares to Madame Rosa. But it's still a compelling story. It's ready to watch on Netflix whenever you're ready. Its often foul language does make one question the PG-13 rating. But that's a minor nitpick. Hold on to your composure.