Madame Rosa

Madame Rosa runs a boarding home in Paris for the children of prostitutes. She raises Momo with careful regard for his heritage, concealing his actual age and teaching him as a Muslim to honor his background. She remains blunt and unfiltered, yet shows a protective side toward the boy.

Momo steals a dog from a shop and later impulsively sells it for 500 francs, stashing the money in the sewer. The act foreshadows his restless impulses and the fragile line Rosa walks between care and frustration. Rosa views him as a troublemaker but continues to look out for him.

Believing Momo might be syphilitic or mentally ill, Rosa takes him to Dr. Katz for a medical evaluation. The visit signals how quickly concerns about behavior morph into questions of health and danger. It also tightens Rosa's grip on Momo's life under the pretense of care.

Momo follows Rosa after she nightmare-dreads Auschwitz and discovers her hidden Jewish space under the staircase. This revelation reveals Rosa's concealed past and deepens their bond as he starts to see the weight of what she has endured. The moment marks a turning point in their relationship.

In a park, Momo dresses as a prostitute and a real prostitute takes him to a cafe, prompting Rosa to intervene. She makes him swear never to prostitute himself or become a procurer, asserting a boundary that she believes will keep him safe. The act highlights his vulnerability and her protective, sometimes coercive, love.

Momo meets a female film editor in the park who tells him he can visit her lab anytime he likes. The encounter plants a possible escape route from Rosa's world and hints at a life beyond her care. It also introduces the idea that art and storytelling could be a path for Momo.

Rosa's health deteriorates as dementia sets in, and she sometimes slips into flashbacks of the Vel d’Hiv roundup. She fears arrest by the police and being sent back to Auschwitz, revealing how trauma haunts her daily life. The fear and frailty intensify the pressure on Momo.

Mr. Hamil, Rosa's friend, also begins to show signs of dementia, seeking comfort in the writings of Victor Hugo. His decline mirrors Rosa's own fragility and underscores the toll of aging in their shared world. The literary shelter becomes a small anchor in their deteriorating lives.

After a bad fall on the stairs, Dr. Katz informs Momo that Rosa has multiple health issues, including hypertension. The medical news deepens Momo's sense of responsibility and fear for Rosa's future. It also foreshadows the end of Rosa's ability to care for him.

Momo challenges the idea of euthanasia as he argues with Dr. Katz about French values, claiming he is not French and invoking Algerian beliefs in self-determination. The moment crystallizes his struggle with belonging and the ethics of end-of-life choices. Rosa's care becomes entangled with political and personal identities.

Momo's father returns to claim him, but Rosa tricks him into believing she has raised Momo as a Jew, prompting the man to suffer a fatal stroke. The confrontation removes a threat to their fragile bond, though it leaves emotional scars. Rosa's deception seals the boy more firmly into her care.

Rosa retreats to her hidden Jewish space to die, with Momo by her side. Three weeks pass before her body is found, marking the end of a complex, protective, flawed relationship. Momo is left to grapple with loss while stepping into an uncertain future.

After Rosa's death, Momo goes to live with the female film editor who inspired him earlier in the story. This transition offers him a chance at a different life, shaped by cinema, mentorship, and a sense of possibility beyond Rosa's care. The ending leaves his future open but grounded in art and memory.