Madame Rosa is a retired Jewish prostitute and Auschwitz survivor who earns a meagre living by providing temporary accommodation in her Paris home to the children of the neighbourhood prostitutes. The building where she lives is populated by picturesque characters; the concierge M. Mimoun, Monsieur Charmette, Madame Lola, the Zaoum brothers,… Madame Rosa looks after twelve kids who sometimes receive visits from their mothers bringing a little money. But for Momo, an Arab fourteen year old kid, Madame Rosa is his only family.

The Life Before Us portrays a sordid human landscape where Momo learns his life skills. From the naivety of his adolescence, he denounces racism, materialism and reflects on old age, solitude and euthanasia.

The Life Before Us, a novel the writer and diplomat Romain Gary (1914-1980) –under the pseudonym Emile Ajar– won the Gouncourt award for in 1975, and of which a film version was made (Madame Rosa), is surprising because of just how significant it remains today, and because of its touches of irony, innocence and love. Josep Maria Pou has based himself on the stage adaptation of Xavier Jaillard, which has recently been a success in France, to direct it.

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