Le Havre (2011)
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Country: Finland
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
In this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa into the path of Marcel Marx, a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight.
Marcel Marx was once a renowned writer. These days, he lives in exile in the town of Le Havre, where he works as a shoeshine boy. It is not the most remunerative of professions, but it brings him close to people and he is content with his life, which he divides between his work, his wife Arletty and the corner bar where he takes his daily tipple. Then one day, Marcel’s happy routine is suddenly disturbed when his path crosses that of an African child immigrant... ~ Fimsdefrance
Country: Finland
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
In this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa into the path of Marcel Marx, a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight.
Marcel Marx was once a renowned writer. These days, he lives in exile in the town of Le Havre, where he works as a shoeshine boy. It is not the most remunerative of professions, but it brings him close to people and he is content with his life, which he divides between his work, his wife Arletty and the corner bar where he takes his daily tipple. Then one day, Marcel’s happy routine is suddenly disturbed when his path crosses that of an African child immigrant... ~ Fimsdefrance
