Marcel Marx is a shoe shiner in Le Havre, Normandy. One day, he meets a small African child (Idrissa), who has recently escaped from a freight container to London. Marcel tries to send Idrissa off to London, but on the way he must deceive an inspector, and cope with a seriously ill wife. His neighbours and friends from the local bar, help him achieve his goal.
Sounds familiar to the Dardenne Brothers's 'La Promesse' but where that focused on hard hitting drama, this is more a dark comedy with random outbursts of melodrama. In the middle of nowhere, the melodramatic music kicks in, and everything is melodramitified X10. One of the many strange gimmicks this film has. Other gimmicks include: a random rock concert towards the end, which feels completely out of place, the dry wit and a cameo by Jean-Pierre Leaud. That is not all that makes this film unusual...
What I found strange is the camera angles. Most of them consisted of a medium close-up of one person, facing the camera and looking slightly to the left or right. Most of the other shots consisted of two or three people talking to each other, while not looking at each other, creating a disjointed experience. This is part of Kaurismaki's style and what makes him an auter, so I do like these strange (Ozu-like) shots.
Despite the film being set in a gorgeous city, Kaurismaki manages to focus on the derelict and the bland instead of the beautiful scenery. I'm not saying the shots are bland, just unusual. The only thing which irritated me was the lighting. Every scene in the film has a massive light shining on the character's forehead. While over-lighting may be fine for photographs, it looks completely out of place here.
The film is very accessible, and fun to watch. The incredibly happy ending was a disappointment, but overall a fine film.
TO CONCLUDE
Likeable characters, simple plot, dry humour and a very French detective.
SCORE
76
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