Lucca’s World Movie Review: A heartfelt and mildly predictable film with a message of hope

Lucca’s World (Los dos hemisferios de Lucca) is based on a true story, adapted from Bárbara Anderson’s book of the same name. It recounts her experience in caring for her young son with cerebral palsy, and the family’s efforts in seeking out a cure for his condition against all odds. The premise is set on familiar ground. Depicting a loving household unwilling to give up on a child, despite what the general medical consensus states, is by no means new or novel. Such stories provide a much-needed fillip to families going through tough times and inspire hope in the larger context. Sacrifice, parental responsibility and guilt, commitment and unconditional love are some common themes running through these narratives. Mariana Chenillo’s film does, however, ace the job it sets out to do – that is, enact a sensitive, compassionate tale of a mother and father’s undying duty towards their child with special needs. And this warmness that Lucca’s World exudes is thanks largely to the realistic acting on display, beginning with Bárbara Mori in the lead. There’s a welcoming quality to it, one that pushes you to root for the titular character and the family that places him front-and-centre. If the acting wasn’t as natural and believable, it is quite easy for the film to be forgettable. But it is the personal that makes Lucca’s World engaging. Whether it is the dynamic between Bárbara (Bárbara Mori) and Andrés (Juan Pablo Medina) and their constant juggling of finances and plans to fit in Lucca’s medical needs; or Bárbara’s belief in Dr. Kumar’s experimental treatment all the way in India, and her many interactions with the Mexican go-between in Bengaluru to set everything up; or even Lucca’s younger brother being mindful to include his sibling in activities, despite knowing that he’s different from most kids; it is worth the investment.

Director – Mariana Chenillo

Cast - Bárbara Mori, Juan Pablo Medina, Julián Tello, Danish Husain, Ari Brickman

Streaming On - Netflix

Bárbara gives birth to a baby with infantile cerebral palsy. He is placed in the natal ICU until they can take him home. The child is christened Lucca (Julián Tello). Bárbara is stricken with maternal guilt. As the years tick by, her husband and her manage home and work, with Lucca’s needs (physical therapy, hydrotherapy, hospital visits) at the forefront. They have another child, a boy. The doctors in Mexico are clear that there is no cure for cerebral palsy. Despite conventional medical evidence saying as much, Bárbara has an instinct that more can be done to improve her son’s quality of life. By chance, she hears about an experimental treatment being conducted in India. As luck would have it, a Mexican businessman works closely with the doctor conducting these clinical trials in Bengaluru. He convinces her to fly her family down for Lucca’s treatment at the hands of Dr. Kumar (Danish Husain). But before they can even consider going, there are several things to discuss. For starters, finances. The experimental treatment has no approvals yet, and there’s no guarantee it will work. The specialists in Mexico advise Bárbara against it. With a hope and a prayer, and the juggling of their house mortgage, the family of four and their ever-supportive nanny make the long journey halfway across the world.

One good thing as far as the India parts go is that the country isn’t overly romanticised. There’s no ‘mystic feel of the orient’ nonsense that foreign films often fall prey to. Maybe the sequences concerning the Mexican businessman and his agenda to restrict access to Dr. Kumar ought to have been handled better. You know he’s up to something fishy; the family never gets a private audience with Dr. Kumar, Bárbara pushes for the treatment to be made available closer home but is met with resistance. The fact that he wants to benefit monetarily by keeping Kumar in the dark is clear as day. Some subtlety would have gone a long way to hold the suspense, but that was not to be. While the film remains very real due to its all-round acting, there is a predictable path it follows due to the subject matter. Heart-warming, feel-good and sensitive it may be, but we more or less know how it will pan out in the end. Despite its predictable nature, Lucca’s World is a portrait of parenthood. Bárbara’s sheer force of will propels the family to risk everything. Her battle against the odds to provide her son with a fighting chance is central to the film’s message of hope.