WRITTEN BY: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
DIRECTED
BY: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
STARRING: Omar Sy, Charlotte
Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim
RATING: 3.5 stars
SYNOPSIS:
Samba
(Omar Sy) moved from Senegal to France 10 years ago and has been
quietly trying to blend in while working in low-paid jobs. Meanwhile,
Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is a senior executive who has recently
experienced a burnout and starts doing pro bono work helping
immigrants in Paris apply for visas and jobs. When they meet, Alice
is immediately struck by Samba and tries to help him get his working
papers.
The
fantastic team behind The Intouchables has given audiences another
memorable French film. It is certainly a drama, but there is so much
realistic humour thrown in too, which balances the story. While The
Intouchables paired a lowly criminal with a rich paraplegic to draw
some fascinating juxtapositions, Samba makes its own commentary about
illegal immigrants and class issues. Gainsbourg brings a sensitivity
and warmth to a character who is miserably messed up, while Sy has an
imposing presence and appeal portraying a man trying to get ahead in
life. Along the way, we meet a series of characters who show a
different facet of immigrant life. Jonas (Isaka Sawadogo) is locked
up but eager to find his hairdresser fiance Gracieuse (Sabine
Pakora), while Wilson (Tahar Rahim) is the romantic charmer who just
wants to have fun. But it is still the central story that is the most
engaging. Directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have produced a
thought-provoking film with a lot of heart.
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