Mexican actress Barbara Mori who came to India years ago to shoot with Hrithik Roshan in Kites, has matured mellowed and metamorphosed into a dependable performer. In Netflix’s Lucca’s World, she is cast as a mother coping with a child with cerebral palsy. The description makes her sound like a Mexican avatar of Mother India. And to a large extent, she is what every mother is when it comes to a special child: anxious, tense, and hopeful….
What makes Lucca’s World special, in spite of its unabashed sentimentality, is its humane attitude to the poignant situation. Barbara(Mori) and Andres(Juan Pablo Medina) discover soon after their child’s birth that Lucca(Julián Tello) cannot talk or walk and would probably not be able to live without constant attention. The couple’s struggle is never romanticized with excessive maudlinism and background music.
The tone feels right, if at times a tad trite. What makes this film of special interest to us Indians is Lucca’s special medical treatment in Bengaluru under the supervision of the affable Dr. Kumar. That the good doctor is played by the wonderful Danish Hussain is a stroke of luck as far as casting goes. Hussain makes the doctor humane and kind without tripping into la-la-land.
Lucca’s World is a world worth visiting. Not only for its message of compassion and strength of will but also for telling a potentially weepy story with warmth and restraint. My favourite moments in the film feature Lucca with his brother, where the little boy struggles to include his specially abled sibling in fun activities.
There is a heartbreaking moment of sibling supremacy when Lucca’s brother is excited about his first tooth falling off while the family is dealing with Lucas’ seizure. Happily, the film portrays the family as well-adjusted and relatively happy in spite of the looming dread that it has to face every single day.
There are many reasons why Lucca’s World must be seen.Its welcoming sunny attitude to the critical situation is one of them.
