The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Pupule rating: 3.9 (out of 4)
From the opening moments of "The Life Ahead," the dubbing — we called it lip-synching back in the day — was disappointing. Really. I prefer subtitles, 100 percent. And yet, by the end of this film, I was enraptured by Sophia Loren and her young co-star, Ibrahima Gueye. Loren is, of course, in the twilight of her career, but she is absolutely mesmerizing as a Holocaust survivor who looks after abandoned children.
There is nothing close to Hallmark Channel or a Disney movie in this from start to finish. Loren's character lives in a gritty, urban area. She is tough-nosed, intolerant of baloney and that is what brings her doctor to the small, but comfy apartment she lives in with two young kids. Dr. Coen can't give young Momo, a street-wise dealer and the son of one of his former patients, the kind of tough love he needs.
"He needs a strong, female authority figure," the doc tells Madame Rosa.
She resists. Momo is the same kid who stole from her at a nearby open market. But the wily doctor bends her will in time, and the story unfolds.
Gueye is strong and vulnerable, overflowing with conviction even when he knows he is wrong. The supporting cast is excellent, a network of nuanced performances that balance Madame Rosa's strength with gentle tolerance of the sometimes fiery Momo.
The setting on the streets of Italy is captivating, too. In lieu of the normal, functional family structure, Madame Rosa, Momo and the extended family gradually find ways to fill the void in each of their souls — without pandering. Strong-willed. Blunt. Tender. Sarcastic. Vulnerable. Sophia Loren as Madame Rosa is the mother and grandmother that many of us embrace and fear (just a little). And love.
She was directed by one of her sons, Edoardo Ponti, and judging from the interviews they have done since the film's completion, Loren has a tremendous respect in her relationship with him on the set. The intimacy and intelligence of their conversations is astounding to me.
I want to see this again, no question, but in the original tongue. The actual, literal voice of Loren and all these actors. I get chicken skin thinking about it.
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