Le Havre (2011)

When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home.

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki

Stars:

André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin

15 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
André Wilms	...	Marcel Marx
Kati Outinen	...	Arletty
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Monet
Blondin Miguel	...	Idrissa
Elina Salo	...	Claire
Evelyne Didi	...	Yvette
Quoc Dung Nguyen	...	Chang (as Quoc-Dung Nguyen)
Laïka	...	Laïka - Dog
François Monnié	...	Epicier
Little Bob	...	Little Bob (as Roberto Piazza)
Pierre Étaix	...	Docteur Becker
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Le dénonciateur
Vincent Lebodo	...	Francis
Umban U'kset	...	Mahamat Saleh
Patrick Bonnel	...	Le directeur du centre de rétention

Storyline

When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home.

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Plot Keywords:

shoe shiner | container | charity event | migrant camp | ill wife | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [de]

Country:

Finland France Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 September 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

El puerto

Filming Locations:

Impasse Réal, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France

Box Office

Budget:

€3,850,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$26,363 (USA) (21 October 2011)

Gross:

$611,709 (USA) (13 April 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sputnik, Pyramide Productions, Pandora Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finland's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.

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Quotes

Marcel Marx: L'argent circule au crepuscule.

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Connections

Referenced in The Smallest Red Carpet, But the Biggest Heart (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Matelot"
Performed by 'The Renegades'

User Reviews

Charming and delightful, pure optimistic cinema

These days it seems that French films predominantly fit into one of two categories: Smug, over long and preachy, such as Rust and Bone or Little White Lies. Or they produce deeply involving but simplistic stories containing the most genuine heartfelt emotion such as Amour (in French, therefore French) or The Kid with a Bike. I am happy to say that Le Havre falls in the latter group. In fact the story here is one of pure simplicity and the tone of the film contains nothing but genuine optimism towards the theme of human compassion. That is it, this film has no ulterior motive or no gimmicks, and it is a very simply and extremely involving story based around that one simple theme. However, this film is not just a tribute to human compassion, but contained within it are tributes to the history of cinema that are quite simply a joy to experience. When I say that, the use of music as well the way certain scenes are lit pay a respectful tribute to films of the 40s and 50s throughout the narrative.

This is not to say that this film is not without its realism, Marx and his neighbours all live a humble life bordering on poverty. The plight of Idrissa is unenviable and there is an honest depiction of a refugee camp just outside Calais. However, the theme of Le Havre is not that life is simply good, that would be naive. It is how these characters deal with life and the situations that it presents. Of course it would be so easy to fall into to the trap of patronising and borderline preachy cliché here, but this never happens due to the genuine feeling of honesty depicted throughout the narrative. Every character is presented very honestly with all their flaws quite clear to see, but it is their ability for natural compassion that drives the narrative forward. By the time Le Havre reaches its very satisfying conclusion where there are no loose ends, it is difficult not to feel that not only have you been entertained, but also enlightened.