The Life Ahead

In the coastal Italian city of Bari, an elderly woman named Madame Rosa looks after the children of local sex workers in her modest apartment. A Holocaust survivor with a past as a prostitute, she has raised generations of neighbourhood children and earned respect among her neighbours. Her household gains an unlikely new resident when Momo, a twelve-year-old Senegalese boy who survives by petty crime, is brought to her by Dr. Coen, a guardian figure who believes the boy needs a strong woman in his life. Momo has recently robbed Madame Rosa in the street, and their first encounters are marked by conflict before the two gradually form a bond that resembles a family.

The Life Ahead is a 2020 drama directed by Edoardo Ponti, who wrote the screenplay with Ugo Chiti and Fabio Natale. It is his second feature, following Coming & Going, released nine years earlier. Sophia Loren, the director's mother, plays Madame Rosa, while Ibrahima Gueye plays Momo; Renato Carpentieri, Diego Iosif Pirvu, Massimiliano Rossi and Abril Zamora appear in supporting roles. The production was handled by Artemis Rising and Palomar.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.8 from around 16,000 votes, and on TMDB it has a 6.7 from 583 votes, suggesting a moderate but consistent level of approval from viewers. A critics' rating of 7 out of 10 from 91 reviews places its critical standing close to its audience scores.