Lucca’s World Movie Review: An Exciting Journey Through Hopes, Sacrifices and Medical Discoveries
I just finished seeing Lucca’s World (original title: Los dos hemisferios de Lucca) on Netflix and, believe me, this film takes you by the hand and takes you to a world of challenges, twists, and a huge dose of determination. It is a story based on real facts, that is, that of a mother who practically does not give up on adversity to give her son with cerebral palsy a better chance of life. And this, my friend, is something you cannot fail to appreciate. Starting from January 31, 2025, Netflix a film that does not leave you indifferent: Lucca’s World (original title: Los dos hemisferios de Lucca), a film that deals with delicate and profound issues, such as the rights of people with disabilities and the struggle of a mother to improve the life of her child. Directed by the talented Mariana Chenillo, the film is inspired by the homonymous autobiographical book of the journalist Bárbara Anderson, who shared his personal and family experience in the face of his son’s cerebral palsy.
A journey that involves emotions, difficult choices, and a determination that challenges every human limit. “What is the purpose if I know so much that nothing changes? But I have to open all the doors that are closed for you”. We could say: rhetoric at the service of a cinema – digital – that aims at reflection, without renouncing visual formality from good ideas and good staging. If it can appear redundant and stereotypical (as well as capable of igniting the discussion), Lucca’s World, a Mexican film directed by Mariana Chenillo, addresses a decidedly important issue: the rights of the disabled, and the difficulty of making them live a life as dignified as possible.
Lucca’s World Movie Review: The Story Plot
The film opens in an almost surreal way: Barbara (played by Barbara Mori) is in labor. Ten minutes. Yes, ten minutes is the interval between his contractions, like a metronome that marks the anxiety and tension of that moment. She and her partner Andres (played by Juan Pablo Medina) head to the ER, where they are treated with that typical hospital bureaucracy. Can you imagine the scene? They tell him: “Go home and return when the minutes have decreased”, and then, bam! The waters break. The birth scene is the classic sequence “push-breathe-PUSH”, but immediately afterward darkness falls. Barbara awakens and learns excruciating news: the newborn, Lucca, is in an incubator, in an induced coma, and with terrible brain swelling. With a diary-style voiceover, Barbara reveals that the baby has suffered irreversible brain damage and that, in theory, he may never be able to recognize the mother. Wow! A tough start, which immediately strikes you in the heart.
Lucca’s World tells the extraordinary story of Bárbara (played by Bárbara Mori), a mother who does not passively accept the fate that lies ahead for her son Lucca, suffering from severe cerebral palsy. Her determination and love for the child push her to fight to offer him a better life, despite economic, social, and logistical difficulties. When in Mexico they can no longer find suitable solutions, Bárbara decides to embark on a long journey to India, where there is an experimental therapy that could improve the neurological situation in Lucca. The film follows the path of this courageous family, who faces every obstacle with hope and resilience. The journey is not only physical, but also an emotional journey that highlights sacrifice, fear, and hope, but above all the indissoluble bond between mother and son. The story, inspired by the real experience of the journalist Bárbara Anderson, also explores the issue of the rights of people with disabilities and the importance of collective and social support to overcome the challenges of life.
Lucca’s World Movie Review and Analysis
Beyond the disease, Lucca’s World – accompanied by an invasive soundtrack, which optionally explains the mood of each scene – illuminates the self-denial of two parents willing to reset themselves in favor of one battle with unequal weapons. Of course, it’s all very simple (and perhaps simplistic) in Mariana Chenillo’s film, but the value of true (so dramatic) history adds to the script a human value that is impossible not to consider. Of course, the discussion, between ethics and morals, between miraculous and science, could be those lit, if it were not that then the film – arrived in India – seems to focus a little too much on the film postcard, distorting the center of the speech.
“The only thing we have left to do is look at the sky, pray, and wait”, says Mom Bárbara, before things change sharply. From here, another reflection again: is it possible that certain experimental treatments, extremely expensive, are precluded and, often, also criticized by health institutions, still linked to a medicine affected by strong economic interests (less sick, fewer medicines sold)? The ending wrapped in a political track – a little too sketched, which could have been the pitch, making Lucca’s World more incisive – it opens precisely to an almost investigative digression, focusing on Anderson’s discoveries (which we repeat to be a journalist) regarding the financial interests, often illegal, behind scientific studies. After all, justice reminds us of Lucca’s World, it certainly does not come from the institutions. Normal people always take their first steps, those who struggle every day to “do the things the world denies every day”.
After a few years, the family situation becomes further complicated. Lucca, the son who started this whole odyssey, now has a little brother, Bruno (played by Samuel Perez). Barbara writes for a magazine, while Andres is running out of work and spends his days looking for something, like a job that makes him less frustrated. The family is immersed in a routine that is practically a continuous race: therapies, drop-offs of children at school, and even the most intimate moments, such as swimming, become perfectly organized events. Barbara finds herself having to wear a swimsuit and dive together in Lucca, while the family ends up falling asleep tired, all together, creating a comforting corner between the blankets. It is a scene that makes you think: the mother never forgets that moment when, during childbirth, she was unable to push once again, and feels responsible, as if fate had betrayed her. And I tell you: this guilt is palpable, but it is also a demonstration of the strength of a mother fighting against all odds.
Lucca, unfortunately, has frequent epileptic seizures, and the family constantly finds themselves making visits to the hospital. Barbara spends whole nights in a chair next to Lucca’s bed, and the weight of responsibility and despair is almost tangible. But then, as if fate wanted to make you understand that not everything is lost, during an interview for an article, Barbara meets someone who talks to her about a doctor in India. This doctor is developing an experimental treatment, designed to stimulate brain cells – a treatment that has already been shown to reduce tumors and restore connections between damaged cells, but which has not yet obtained approval from the authorities. Barbara clings to this news as a lifeline, although Andres remains skeptical. I tell you, it’s an almost surreal situation: rely on strangers, fly thousands of kilometers for experimentation, and bring into play all the family heritage, that is, the house, to access this treatment. But when you are desperate, all hope, however remote, becomes a way out.
From a technical point of view, Lucca’s World is not an impeccable production, but it has traits that make it remarkable. The direction of this film is decided, with shots studied that capture the stark reality of a family torn apart by suffering and hope. The assembly is dynamic, alternating slow and emotionally charged scenes with almost documentary moments of action, such as those in which you see Barbara running against time to organize every detail of everyday life. And then there is photography: every shot, from the soft light of hospitals to the most vivid shades of family moments, takes you to a world made of strong contrasts. Barbara Mori, is, without a doubt, the emotional fulcrum of the film. Her performance is intense, managing to convey the despair, determination, and, above all, the hope of a mother who never gives up. The direction relies heavily on her to give meaning to a script that at times seems too much “TV ladder”, that is, practical and without too many words, but which still manages to involve you.
Juan Pablo Medina as Andres offers a more contained, almost surreal interpretation, which makes you understand how much the weight of this situation can crush even those who try to keep calm. The film is part of that category of inspirational stories which, although not light-hearted works of art or entertainment, manage to touch the heart thanks to their authenticity. Lucca’s World shows the path of a family that faces difficulties with incredible strength, but at the same time lets us glimpse the fragility and weaknesses of a health system that often does not respond to the needs of the most vulnerable. I mean, I tell you, it’s a movie that snatches a smile, a tear, and maybe even a little of anger because it shows you how difficult it is to do everything possible when everything seems against you. The script is not always at its best, and in some places the rhythm drops, leaving you with the feeling that certain passages have been treated too superficially. However, in the end, the film teaches you that it is not just a matter of seeking miraculous treatment, but of believing in the possibility that, with determination and innovation, even the most difficult challenges can be overcome.
The film also makes a small reference to how the world of medicine and scientific research is made up of hopes and compromises, where progress is often hampered by bureaucracies and policies that are not up to human needs. That is, you have in mind that scene in which the doctor discusses, almost as in an introductory course of philosophy, how God and science intersect, and you think: “Come on, life is also made of these contrasts, and this is what makes everything so human”. Lucca’s World is a film that, directly and without too many frills, brings you into a story of pain, hope, and redemption. It is not a perfect masterpiece – there are times when the script looks like a TV ladder and the rhythm is affected – but the strength of the narration lies in the performance of Barbara Mori and in its ability to make you feel every emotion, every tear, every smile. It’s a story that reminds you of how fragile and, at the same time, incredibly powerful life is when it comes to fighting for what you believe in.
If you like movies that, While telling difficult stories, leave a light of hope and a message of resilience, Lucca’s World it’s a title you can’t miss. It is a hymn to determination, an invitation to never give up, even when everything seems lost. And above all, it is a testimony of how much courage and passion can make a difference, even in the most desperate situations. And you, what do you think of Lucca’s World? Can you get involved in the story and get the message, or do the technical parts and the script seem too superficial? Write me a comment below and share your impressions: comparison is always an excellent opportunity to enrich the debate and discover new points of view on a story that, despite everything, touches you deeply.
The film uses a cast of highly qualified actors, who help to give strength and intensity to the story. Bárbara Mori, famous throughout Latin America for his talent, plays the role of Bárbara, the mother protagonist. Her exciting performance conveys the strength of a mother ready for anything for the sake of her son. At his side, we find Juan Pablo Medina, who interprets Andrés, the husband of Bárbara, who together with his wife shares the weight of daily difficulties and choices to be made for the health of his son. The cast is completed by Ari Brickman, Danish Hussain, Julián Tello is Samuel Pérez, who interpret characters that enrich the plot and give depth to the story, making the film even more engaging. The direction of Mariana Chenillo and the script of Javier Peñalosa and the director herself, focus on the human side of the story, focusing on emotion and empathy to raise public awareness of universal issues such as disability, unconditional love, and hope for it.
Lucca’s World Movie Review: The Last Words
Lucca’s World is not just a film: it is a work that speaks of determination, courage, and love without borders. A story that overcomes geographical and cultural barriers, and that touches the hearts of anyone who has ever faced difficulties in life. Thanks to its powerful plot and exceptional cast, the film has the potential to become a point of reference for those looking for stories that speak of resilience and hope. The starting point of true history has always had extra gear. Further confirmation comes from Lucca’s World, a Mexican film by Netflix that leads us to reflect on the vital hardships experienced by those who, a normal life, cannot live, and then pushes us to reflect on how much medicine, today, is also the result of interest very little clear state. Despite the rhetoric, a vision is still sincere. Lucca’s World is a poignant and inspiring film, which narrates a mother’s struggle to give hope to her son with cerebral palsy, challenging bureaucracy, debts, and cruel fate. A film that will make you reflect on the importance of love, family, and the struggle for the rights of people with disabilities. An opportunity to see a reality is often hidden, but that deserves to be known.
Cast: Bárbara Mori, Juan Pablo Medina, Danish Husain, Alejandra Corman, Julián Tello, Bélen Chávez, Adonay Cabrera, Diana Mercado Armenta, Mai Elissalt
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)
Lucca’s World Movie Review: An Exciting Journey Through Hopes, Sacrifices and Medical Discoveries - Filmyhype
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Date Created: 2025-02-03 18:52
3.5
