Movie #2118 ........................."The Life Ahead" (netflix)

 Movie #2118 "The Life Ahead" (netflix)  Here we go with the Academy Award nominations - this one is up for foreign language film.  It is directed by Carlo Ponti and Sophia Loren's son Edoardo Ponti, and stars his mother.  Her presence should dominate the film, but the one you can't take your eyes off is the little boy --- wow, he was good!  He is far more interesting than she is --- which causes a problem because she is supposed to be the mystery.   The film is a bit sloppy and uneven.  It has a couple of good scenes in it (the last one comes to mind) but others just go by without leaving a visual memory for the viewer.  Another part of the unevenness is the portrayal of Sophia's character --- she is so mean for 3/4's of the film, and then we are expected to believe the turn she makes and becomes sooo loving by the end.  I'd give it 3.5 out of 5, and it has a song nomination --- hmmmm.  It wasn't memorable to me, but the songwriter is famous.

"THE LIFE AHEAD"      PG-13      1 hour, 34 mins    2020

In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her.

Director:

 Edoardo Ponti

Writers:

 Ugo Chiti, Romain Gary (based on the book by)  | 2 more credits »

Stars:

 Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye, Renato Carpentieri