Movie Reviews: The Life Ahead packs a hefty emotional punch and there might be an Oscar for Sophia Loren

— but Rogue storytelling veers wildly between thrilling scenarios, ludicrously simplistic twists and crass characterisations

The Life Ahead 4/5 stars  

In this strangest of years, it’s not inconceivable that Sophia Loren might bag herself an Oscar nomination for her role in The Life Ahead (12A), her first film in more than a decade. Loren plays Madame Rosa, a former streetwalker in Bari who now earns a living by offering an unofficial foster-mother service for the children of prostitutes.