Is The Life Ahead appropriate for a 10 or 11-year-old?

It is generally better suited for ages 13+. The plot involves a 12-year-old running drugs for street dealers, references to sex work, and severe psychological distress linked to Holocaust trauma. Tweens may also struggle with the deliberate pacing and subtitles.

Is the movie dubbed or in Italian?

The original language is Italian. Netflix offers both English subtitles and an English dubbed audio track, though watching in the original Italian with subtitles preserves the authentic performances.

How graphic is the drug or violent content?

Not graphic in a violent action-movie sense. You see Momo handle bags of pills and exchange cash on street corners, but there are no bloody shootouts or explicit drug abuse scenes.

How central is the Holocaust backstory?

It isn't a historical flashback movie, but Madame Rosa's status as a survivor drives her character. Her numbered arm tattoo is shown, and her panic attacks in the basement stem directly from her memories of Auschwitz.

The Life Ahead – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Life Ahead

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2020

74%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A Holocaust survivor running an informal daycare in seaside Italy takes in the 12-year-old street kid who mugged her.

6.8/10

92%

77%

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The Life Ahead

movie

PG-13, 2020

74%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A Holocaust survivor running an informal daycare in seaside Italy takes in the 12-year-old street kid who mugged her.

6.8

92%

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6.8/10

92%

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Screenwise Verdict

Sophia Loren stars in The Life Ahead, directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. Set in the port city of Bari, Italy, it tells the story of Madame Rosa, an aging Holocaust survivor who earns a living taking care of the children of local sex workers. When she gets mugged by Momo, a 12-year-old Senegalese orphan living on the streets, her doctor friend persuades her to take the boy in anyway.

This isn't a glossy Hollywood feel-good movie. Momo is actively involved in drug running, and Madame Rosa is wrestling with trauma and failing health. But the heart of the film is their quiet, prickly transformation from hostile roommates into each other's fiercest protectors.

For mature middle schoolers and high schoolers, it's a moving, empathetic foreign-language film that treats complex human situations with dignity.

Age Fit

Best for ages 13 and up. Younger kids will find the subtitles, deliberate pacing, and plot lines involving street dealing and terminal illness hard to engage with or overly heavy.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Anchored by a deeply compassionate bond between an elderly woman and an orphaned boy, though it spends significant time alongside street crime, drug running, and illness.

Imaginative

Grounded contemporary drama with subtle, poetic visual metaphors—like Momo's recurring visions of a protective lioness—rather than high fantasy or world-building.

Safe

Includes depictions of a 12-year-old dealing drugs on the street, references to sex work, emotional trauma, and a painful progression of physical and mental decline.

Enriching

Delivers a powerful study in empathy, cross-generational friendship, chosen family, and processing trauma across drastically different backgrounds.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Sophia Loren gives a masterful, grounded performance as Madame Rosa, bringing weight and dignity to a role about surviving trauma.
The dynamic between Momo and Madame Rosa offers a raw look at chosen family across race, religion, and generation.
Presents a nuanced portrait of marginalized lives in modern Italy without turning into cheap sentimentality.

⚠

What to Watch For

Momo works as a runner for a local drug dealer, showing him packaging, handing off pills, and counting street money.
Madame Rosa is a former sex worker, and her neighbor Lola is a trans sex worker; while nothing graphic is shown, their history and profession are stated open secrets.
Madame Rosa experiences severe panic attacks and cognitive decline stemming from her time in Auschwitz, culminating in a poignant end-of-life arc.

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think Madame Rosa took Momo in even after he stole from her?"
"Momo has a hard time trusting adults at first. What made him slowly lower his guard?"
"How does the film show that 'family' can mean people who aren't related to you by blood?"

Deep Dive

A Masterclass in Unlikely Bonds

The Life Ahead (adapted from Romain Gary's novel the Life Before Us) works largely because it refuses to sanitize its lead character. Momo isn't a cute scamp with a heart of gold who just needs a hug; he's a street-hardened kid making bad choices because his options are stripped down to survival. Madame Rosa isn't a saintly grandmother either—she's tough, guarded, and exhausted.

When the two clash, the dialogue feels earned. The film takes its time letting them observe each other. Momo sees Madame Rosa's secret basement sanctuary where she retreat when her Holocaust memories overwhelm her; Madame Rosa sees that beneath Momo's tough front lies a child terrified of being left with nobody.

Subtitles, Street Life, and Sensitivity

If you're bringing a teen to this, keep a few logistical and thematic details in mind:

Subtitles required: The dialogue is in Italian, so your viewer needs to be comfortable reading along.
Social realities: The film touches on modern European immigration, poverty, and the informal economies people build when systems fail them.
Trans representation: Madame Rosa's close friend Lola (played by trans actress Abril Zamora) is portrayed warmly and respectfully as an integral part of their neighborhood support network.

It makes a great companion piece for discussions about modern history, European cinema, or stories about resilience.