98% Le Havre

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?

November 27, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/le_havre_2011/

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