Le Havre (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• c0up  

  
  'Le Havre'. A whimsical, feel good tale with a very quirky look, direction and set of characters.

• Carlos M

  
  Even if not special or memorable, this is an enjoyable film that invests well in a theatrical tone to tell a simple story. A comedic drama that makes curious use of a fable-like illumination and affected performances to turn a potentially dense drama into a light, funny experience.

• Eric H

  
  Affable shoe-shine man Wilms takes up the cause of illegal immigrant Miguel who is seeking passage from the title port to join his mother in London. From a purely stylistic viewpoint, this movie is beautiful with an eye-popping colour palette not seen in French cinema since the… More
  Affable shoe-shine man Wilms takes up the cause of illegal immigrant Miguel who is seeking passage from the title port to join his mother in London. From a purely stylistic viewpoint, this movie is beautiful with an eye-popping colour palette not seen in French cinema since the seventies. Of course it's writer-director is an outsider with a romantic view of France, and arguably immigration, purely gleaned from the country's pop culture. Frankly if I were French I'd find the stereotypical tableau on display here quite offensive. Wilms exists on a diet of fresh baguettes and wine while the local cafe plays whimsical chansons from fifty years ago. I almost expected a mime to turn up with garlic strung around his neck. Scratch beneath the surface and there's little holding this together. Wilms is charming in a fairytale grandfather sort of way but most of the other cast members are wooden, in particular Finnish actress Outinen. Maybe she struggles with the French language but the desk I'm writing this on has more personality. The problem with European cinema is that it's an old boys network. If you're an established film-maker like Kaurismaki you don't have to worry about funding so you can churn out half-developed scripts like this. The ending of this is so bad that a primary school English teacher would throw it back in the face of the pupil who submitted it. (It wasn't all a dream but it wasn't far off.) If you have a romanticised naive vision of Europe you might enjoy this. If like me you actually live here this will just be lamentable for the wrong reasons. There are beautiful images in this film, they just don't work so well strung together over ninety minutes. For a French language movie about the kindness of strangers go watch "The Kid With A Bike", this one's not worth the schlepp.

• Walter M

  
  Marcel Marx(Andre Wilms) is a shoeshine who makes a sparse living in Le Havre and has more than his share of his debts. His wife Arletty(Kati Outinen) dutifully stands by him while unbeknowst to him, she is very ill. Meanwhile, sounds are heard from a shipping container near the… More
  Marcel Marx(Andre Wilms) is a shoeshine who makes a sparse living in Le Havre and has more than his share of his debts. His wife Arletty(Kati Outinen) dutifully stands by him while unbeknowst to him, she is very ill. Meanwhile, sounds are heard from a shipping container near the harbor and the police, fearing the worst, are called in. Luckily, all of the would be immigrants seem not the worse for wear. So, Idrissa(Blondin Miguel), a young boy, with a little encouragement from his grandfather makes a break for it. To his credit, Inspector Monet(Jean-Pierre Darroussin) stops a police officer from getting off a shot, allowing him to get away. Outside of the changed setting, "Le Havre" might appear to seem like a normal Aki Kaurismaki movie on the surface, as it contains some of his usual touches, along with Kati Outinen in the cast. On the other hand, it is also one of his most topical movies while also one of his most optimistic, even if it is a little predictable at the end. Regardless, the movie almost feels entirely timeless, as about the only sign of present day technology is the most malicious act being carried out by a cell phone. And I think what Kaurismaki is getting at is that in the past people did not act out of fear and were actually much kinder towards each other. So, my question is do Marcel's neighbors act differently towards him when Idrissa comes into his life or is it because his wife falls ill? Or are the events connected even if they do not at first appear to be so?

• hawk l

  
  Sweet, lovely drama centering on good things happening to good people. A real gem.