More than the story, The Life Ahead has made a buzz because of the return of famous actress Sophia Loren. This movie is directed by her son Edoardo Ponti and is adapted from the French author Romain Gary’s 1975 novel The Life Before Us.
The movie revolves around two main characters with a vast age difference and how they connect with the experience they share. Madame Rose is a courageous Jewish grandmother, a holocaust survivor and runs a crèche for kids. She feeds them, teaches them and takes care of them in every way a motherly figure can. She does all of this in her small apartment. She is a ray of hope in the lives of these women and their children.
The main story begins when her old friend (doctor and charity worker) asks her to take in a problematic Muslim Senegalese boy, Momo. At this very young age, Momo has got stuck in the labyrinth of this cruel world. He is secretly working for an exploitive drug dealer. Soon he gets concerned about his new landlady who suffers from dementia and keeps getting nightmares from her life before. Both have a bittersweet relationship where they keep fighting and disagreeing with each other.
We have seen this kind of relationship before between mother-daughter or father-son in many series and movies. But in this movie, even though the principal characters are not related by blood, they still end up in a sort of mother-son relationship with each other. No matter how much they try to be apart they end up sitting next to each other and understanding each other as time changes.
As soon as they let their guards down it is clearly visible that they are more alike than different and have the potential to be best friends than enemies. Their rock-solid friendship is the main hero of the story and gives you a feel-good vibe. It is the kind of story where you keep hoping for the best for the main leads.
As a story, it might feel familiar to you. We have seen a lot of stories where two fighting characters turn out to be more similar than ever. The maturity of Momo at such a young age is very heartbreaking. Whereas Madame Rose is very sensitive, maternal and dignified in her composure.
The music and background score of the film is average. The performances of both the main leads are magnificent and worth mentioning in the coming award shows. The direction is beautiful and has not affected Loren’s performance as an artist while taking directions from her son.
Overall, even while including trauma and strong language, this movie proves itself to be a feel-good entertainer that deserves to be watched at least once by everyone. The Life Ahead is sweet, sensitive and focuses on the more heartwarming aspects of a relationship.
The Life Ahead is currently streaming on Netflix.
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