| 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 | |
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Quoc Dung Nguyen | ... | Chang (as Quoc-Dung Nguyen) |
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Laïka | ... | Laïka - Dog |
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François Monnié | ... | Epicier |
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Little Bob | ... | Little Bob (as Roberto Piazza) |
| Pierre Étaix | ... | Docteur Becker | |
| Jean-Pierre Léaud | ... | Le dénonciateur | |
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Vincent Lebodo | ... | Francis |
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Umban U'kset | ... | Mahamat Saleh |
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Patrick Bonnel | ... | Le directeur du centre de rétention |
A dock worker in Le Havre hears a human sound inside one of the containers in port, that container which left Gabon three weeks ago and which was supposed to arrive in London five days after its departure from Gabon, which didn't happen. The Le Havre police and French border guards find a still alive group of illegal African immigrants inside. On the sign from one of his elders, a young teen boy among the illegal immigrants manages to escape, news of which hits the local media. The first friendly face that boy, Idrissa, encounters is that of former artist now aged shoeshine Marcel Marx. Marcel decides to help Idrissa by hiding him in his house, news which slowly trickles through his community of friends - most of whom he associates with at his local bar - and neighbors, most who assist Marcel in this task. Marcel goes to great lengths to find out Idrissa's story, which leads to Marcel's further task of trying to get Idrissa to London, his original end destination. The one neighbor who... Written by Huggo
Great. Very stylistic in its cinematography and lighting. Condensed and to the bone in its storytelling and editing.
Nice and subtle humour on the background of a highly contemporary story about our unbalanced globe, the hope for freedom and the power of human compassion.
I Truly enjoyed watching a film in which every scene is so carefully and skillfully arranged. This is Kaurismäki at his best working with a great cast and a script stripped of any unnecessary dialogue. The colors and the settings are stunning. There's always a risk that movies like this would come across as to polished or constructed, but from my point of view Kaurismäki strikes a great balance and makes sure that every image adds layers and details to the story.