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Madame Rosa

1977 · Movie · PG · 105 min · ★ 6.8 · 83% critics

DramaComedy

In a crowded Paris neighborhood, an aging former sex worker cares for children left in her charge by women on the margins. As her health declines, the teenage boy closest to her is forced to grow up quickly, navigating poverty, identity, and a fragile but deeply loving bond.

Based on The Life Before Us

Also known as A Life Ahead

IMDb

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Details
Original title
La Vie devant soi
Years
1977
Release date
1977-11-02
Language
French
Rated
PG
Runtime
105 min
Critic score
83/100
TMDB rating
6.8/10 (42 votes)
About

You’ll likely connect with this if you like compassionate, emotionally heavy dramas about unlikely family and survival, especially if May Fools or Chocolat worked for you; Not for you if you want a light, fast-moving watch.

Pros: deeply humane story; moving central bond; rich social themes | Cons: very sad tone; uneven attachment to kids; slow, meandering pace

Themes

  • multiculturalism
  • 1980s
  • anti-racism
  • french multiculuralism
  • good old days

Awards & recognition

  • Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1978
  • Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1978 · nominated
  • César Award — Best Actress · 1978 · nominated
  • International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1978 · nominated

Cast & crew

Directed by Moshé Mizrahi