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Madame Rosa

Country: France, Language: French, 105 mins

Original Title

La vie devant soi...aka Life Before Him ...Aka A Life Ahead
  • Director: Moshé Mizrahi
  • Writer: Romain Gary; Moshé Mizrahi
  • Producer: Ralph Baum; Jean Bolvary

CGiii Comment

Madame Rosa lives in a sixth-floor walkup in the Pigalle; she's a retired prostitute, Jewish and an Auschwitz survivor, a foster mom to children of other prostitutes. Momo is the oldest and her favorite, an Algerian lad whom she raises as a Muslim. He asks about his parents; she answers evasively. As she ages and takes fewer children, Momo must do more for her; as money is tight, he tries to earn pennies on the street with a puppet. He's a beautiful man-child, and Madame Rosa makes him promise never to sell himself or become a pimp. A film editor, Nadine, befriends him, and his father appears as well. Madame Rosa reaches her last days in fear of hospitals, and Momo must act.


Trailer... 

Cast & Characters

Simone Signoret as Madame Rosa;
Michal Bat-Adam as Nadine;
Samy Ben-Youb as Momo;
Gabriel Jabbour as M. Hamil;
Genevieve Fontanel as Maryse;
Bernard La Jarrige as Louis Charmette - un retraite SNCF;
Mohamed Zinet as Kadir Youssef;
Elio Bencoil as Moise;
Stella Annicette as Madame Lola;
El Kebir as Mimoun;
Ibrahim Seck as N'Da Ameder;
Math Samba as Walloumba;
Claude Dauphin as Docteur Katz;
Theo Legitimus as M. Boro;
Nadia Samir