In a year marked by so much disruption to our consumption of cinema, a new film starring Sophia Loren — the Italian-language Netflix drama “The Life Ahead” — counts as something of a movie lover’s miracle, as if millions of sheltering, classics-revisiting cinéastes somehow willed a cherished legend back into our gaze-thirsty sights. In sun-kissed Bari on the southern coast of Italy, Jewish Madame Rosa (Loren) is a tough, regal neighborhood fixture with a particular calling: caring for the children of local sex workers out of her cramped apartment. But away from Rosa’s sights, Momo welcomes recruitment into the operation of a local drug lord (Massimiliano Rossi). But the chance to bask in Sophia Loren’s formidable glow is a pleasure not many movies can claim to offer, so with that in mind, plan your own “Life Ahead” of movie-watching accordingly. 'The Life Ahead' In Italian with English subtitlesRated: PG-13 for thematic material, drug content involving minors, some sexual material and languageRunning time: 1 hour, 34 minutesPlaying: Available Nov. 13 on Netflix

Source: Los Angeles Times November 12, 2020 23:37 UTC