Le Havre
(France, 2011, Directed by Aki Kaurismaki)
(France, 2011, Directed by Aki Kaurismaki)
(I have to apologise for the the trailer inserted above. Funnily enough, I couldn't find a French trailer or an English trailer or one with English subtitles, so I ended up settling for German trailer.)
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ramble: This was one of the best film of the several that I was lucky enough to see at this year's Melbourne International film festival (MIFF). From viewing the trailer that was put on the official MIFF website (Not the one above this review. I picked a better trailer than the MIFF people :D), I would have thought this was a comedy. While there were many genuinely humourous scenes, Le Havre proved to be much more than just a bunch of laughs. The plot was interesting and the characters were unique and quirky. All in all, it was a very charming French film.
The story begins with a French man named Marcel Marx, a struggling author who has recently relocated with his wife, Arletty, to the port town of Le Havre. He lives a very simple life, working as a shoe-shiner, spending time with his wife and going out to the local pub for a drink with the townsfolk.
His daily routine is interrupted, however, when his wife falls ill and needs to stay in hospital for a prolonged period of time. While eating lunch by himself at the port one day, Marcel meets Idrissa, an African refugee who is hiding from French authorities and seeking a route to England to reunite with his mother. Feeling sympathetic for the child, Marcel sets out to help Idrissa get to England. But can he do it with Monet, the private inspector hot on his trail?
I was moved by the story and impressed with the use of comedy, and with the performances of all the participating actors, in particular Andre Wilms who played the main role. Wilms' was able to portray a warm and thoughtful character, who delivered comedic lines with the right amount of 'innocence' and seriousness that you couldn't help but laugh until you were sore. Monet (Jean-Pierre Dorroussin) and Chang (Quoc Dung Nguyen) also provided quite a few memorable laughs.
In terms of the story, I felt that the script was well-written, with each scene contributing to character or plot development. I did find the glimpses into Marcel and Arletty's loving-but-awkward-and-routine relationship confusing at the beginning and in some ways, I wonder if it could have been explained more explicitly. However, I suspect that this sets the base for Marcel's relationship with Idrissa (My personal analysis: Marcel was the child in the relationship with his wife, and his regret for not taking as much care of her as he should have, made him want to take on the role as a father figure to Idrissa.)
The interaction between the timid Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) and Marcel are the real heartwarming and sentimental parts of this story. It is a pleasure to see Marcel and his quirky neighbours band together to help a child that is essentially a stranger to them. The lengths they go to in order to ensure that he achieves his goal leave you feeling warm and fuzzy about society. Seriously.
As a film about the the importance of relationships and friendships, this is definitely a feel-good film to be enjoyed with loved ones :)
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