Le Havre (2011)
Mild themes and infrequent coarse language
| Director: | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Actors: | Andre Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Blondin Miguel |
The life of the affable Marcel is a simple one. Living in the portside city of Le Havre, Marcel spends his days shining the shoes of the middle-class, before retiring to his local haunt for a nightcap on the way home to his beloved wife, Arletty. While his is not the life of a pauper, Marcel often finds it difficult to make ends meet, and when Arletty is taken ill, it feels like his simple world is caving in. But after a chance encounter with an illegal immigrant boy, Idrissa, Marcel feels his life has been restored to him - now his purpose is to protect his new protégé from the watchful eye of the customs official, Monet. FRENCH LANGUAGE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 93mins |
| Origin: | FRANCE |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
by Simon Miraudo, 16/01/2012 9:31:00 AM
Besides having one of the best names in cinema history, Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki, (ah-kee kaur-oohs-mak-ee; go on, say it!) has a reputation as one of the finest filmmakers in the world. He reaffirms that status with the lovely little fairytale Le Havre, a movie that - like fellow 2011 Cannes entry and 2012 Perth Festival feature The Kid With A Bike - is all about generosity of spirit and the cosmic rewards afforded those who live compassionately. André Wilms stars as Marcel Marx, a shoeshine who believes his bohemian past makes his present low-rent existence a romantic one. Marcel resides in Le Havre, a French port town that welcomes illegal immigrants by the boatload. Broke and in-debt to all the local shopkeepers, the only person who seems to respect him is his wife Arletty (Kat...
Besides having one of the best names in cinema history, Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki, (ah-kee kaur-oohs-mak-ee; go on, say it!) has a reputation as one of the finest filmmakers in the world. He reaffirms that status with the lovely little fairytale Le Havre, a movie that - like fellow 2011 Cannes entry and 2012 Perth Festival feature The Kid With A Bike - is all about generosity of spirit and the cosmic rewards afforded those who live compassionately.
André Wilms stars as Marcel Marx, a shoeshine who believes his bohemian past makes his present low-rent existence a romantic one. Marcel resides in Le Havre, a French port town that welcomes illegal immigrants by the boatload. Broke and in-debt to all the local shopkeepers, the only person who seems to respect him is his wife Arletty (Kati Outinen). But when she's admitted to hospital with a ferocious case of cancer, Marcel is left home alone and without much of a reason to go on.
To busy himself while Arletty gets treatment, Marcel decides to help a young African immigrant named Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) get to London, and this sort-of-selfless act earns him the admiration of his neighbours. If he can evade the dogged investigator Monet (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) and help Idrissa reunite with his family, maybe - just maybe! - the universe will save Marcel's wife. It's an unspoken agreement, of course, but perhaps such celestial intervention won't be required once he realises how kind and forgiving the world is willing to be on its own.
Kaurismäki's cinematographer Timo Salminen lights and frames Le Havre as if it were for the stage; our attention is held in place by locked-off cameras and darkness obscures unnecessary areas around the action. Instead of it looking stilted and unnatural, the movie feels as if it were a delightful and gorgeously-illustrated picture book come to life. Our wonderful four leads are aided by an effervescent supporting cast of characters, and they deliver witty barbs and share tragic anecdotes of their own struggles as immigrants. It's a pointed and political flick, disguised as a charming small-town tale, and we should be thankful there are writers and directors like Kaurismäki that can give us both at once.
4/5
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Member Reviews (11)
11 Member
Reviews
says
Loved it!
Frank
says
Good movie. Well acted. Also puts a different perspective on the refugee plight seen from a European angle.
Andrea
says
I loved this movie and will watch anything by this quirky director. The way he composes the shots and holds the image makes them look like still life paintings. Worth a look.
Art S.
says
I've enjoyed what I've seen from Aki Kaurismaki from Finland in the past because of his deadpan humor, flat artificial lighting, Ozu-like moments, and pictorial quality. But his plots were always something of a trifle (at least for the films I've seen) -- a droll slice of life, perhaps with a bit of wry commentary on class relations. Here, in Le Havre, he brings the same characteristics but tackles the plight of illegal immigrants with a tender humanism (that was probably evident in his other features too). I think J. Hoberman got it right when he declared that the movie plays like a utopian vision of how a society might deal with refugees -- in this world, no one displays any racism toward the African refugee and the chief inspector from the local police force looks the other way as a friendly group of French oldsters (in Le Havre) helps him escape to London. Why everyone is old and all appliances, cars, etc. seem to be from the 50s is beyond me -- the issues are as current as today's news.
Davestan
says
Beautifully made and well paced. Connects and interweaves the live of two "lost" and displaced individuals, one an young illegal alien and the other a Frenchman whose wife is ill. Grimly photographed which suits the subject matter, but with some surprise comedic elements. For the film enthusiast.
SK
says
Another beauty from Mr A.K.
Darren
says
The Finish director set a film nior feel film in France about African immagration to England. As you can see abit unusual and unique. Not particularly gripping.
says
Enjoyable
CL-D
says
It's funny how one reviewer can have a diametrically opposite view of a movie to another. I found this to be a compelling and beautifully made movie about generosity of the spirit and compassion. You don't have to be wealthy to achieve it and this depiction is the epitome of that. It's also about the real world and real people and there are no awkward syrypy moments, just pure class in every respect. Very uplifting, with an ending thart did justice to the film.
says
Liked the quirkiness of this film but the ending was just flat so was disappointing in the end.
gerd
says
A rather curious and low-key movie. There are long scenes of not much at all, but also disconcertingly sudden changes of scene, often offset with inappropriate music. Most of the cast are depressingly ugly as is the location. The only thing going for the film is some genuine humanity in the face of the worldwide illegal immigrant issue.