MartinHafer The plot to "Le Havre" is very, very simple...perhaps too simple. A guy who makes a few bucks shining shoes comes upon a young African kid who is running from the immigration authorities. Instead of turning him in, he helps the kid. At first, the help is pretty simple--such as bringing him food and letting him stay at his home. However, later the man is so interested in the kid that he travels to see the boy's grandfather--and ends up promising to get the young man to London to meet his mother. During all this, the shoeshiner's wife is in the hospital--apparently dying of cancer. How does all this work out? See the film.As I mentioned above, the plot is extremely simple. While illegal immigration is a complex issue, here in this film it's simple--break the law. The immigration officers are evil and it's up to the people to stop them. I would have MUCH preferred a film that talks about the pros and cons of unrestricted immigration instead of one that boils it down to simplistic and emotional answers. Overall, a decent film due to the acting but one that I think it a bit overrated.

MoodyB84 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.

polar24 Another joyous work from the Finnish master Kaurismaki whose films always brim with delight and wry humour, an unmistakably Finnish sense of humour. In typical whimsical fashion Kaurismaki has created a charming story set in a nondescript time in a place that couldn't be more current evidenced by the major conflict in the film, the issue of illegal immigration. Le Havre is a city that suits Kaurismaki like any other place in Finland, with it's traditional working class port and harbour, the unique blend of French cultures and English climate. As a francophile with his very dry nordic wit and humour, Kaurismaki is perfect for this somewhat dire subject.In trademark Kaurismaki style, it is also a very colourful film; with the help of his (brilliant) veteran cinematographer Timo Salminen, Kaurismaki imbues the city of Havre with life, humour in what is characteristically (perhaps only in my perception) a grim and (literally) cold place. Kaurismaki has always had a great eye of visuals, some of his compositions with Salminen are gorgeous: notice the impressionistic ray of sunlight illuminating a grey stone wall at the Gare de Calais, the boisterous colours of the fruit and veg shop with it's provincial style store front, even the shipping containers by night in the rain are haunting and melancholic. It's as if the film was shot in Technicolor, so vibrant is the palette of colours (consistent in most of Kaurismaki's works) it looks like it belongs in an era decades ago. This is coupled with the fact, the style is almost anachronistic from the style of fashions to the modest decor of Marcel's house and the local bar, to the rotary dial phones and very little other modern technology. It is all an utterly charming strange universe.Kaurismaki's films always play out like a fable of sorts, the every day man (or woman in Drifting Clouds), lives simply in a modest lifestyle, almost on the edge of poverty, making ends meet, with a dream or catalyst to set them off some expected new life. In this case, a writer of sorts Marcel Marx lives each day just to get by and care for (or be taken care of) his equally devoted wife Arletty. When she gets sick and has to go to hospital, she prefers not to worry him and understates her sickness, so he can go along and continue with his life. At the same time he discovers a young boy Idrissa who is on the run from authorities after illegally immigrating from Africa with what looks like entire family of about 20-30 members. His kind and mellow heart leads leads him to foster the boy under his roof with he help of the kindly townsfolk (and the absolutely heart meltingly irresistible Golden Retriever Laika!). However local inspector Monet is on the hunt to restore things to natural (read legal) order.This combination of hard edged social realism with the young boy and his family' dire outcome and the joyous optimism of Kaurismaki's benevolent play off watch other beautifully. There is some much dry humour in detective Monet's interaction with the townsfolk, the hopeful and determined innocence of Marcel's quest to reunite the boy with his family which belies his simple and bucolic lifestyle, and the efforts of Arletty to ask her doctors to lie to her husband so not to worry him.Although not as ingenious as his masterwork The Man Without a Past (2002) perhaps lacking the incisiveness and tension in that film (admittedly I've only seen that and Lights in the Dusk (2006)) however Kaurismaki remains in the top eschelon of the very great filmmakers working today due to his incomparable individuality and visual style, generosity and sincerity of his characters, some of which are hopeless nobodies, but they grow on you. He is foremost a humanist storyteller, challenging his characters to do their best, not always perfectly, but with the right heart. I was utterly charmed by this world of Le Havre; in a serious subject about current problems today, that's not always easy to smile about.

billcr12 A well dressed man with an attache' case handcuffed to his wrist has his shoes shined and then walks toward a train platform and we hear a scream. the man who has polished his loafers is Marcel, who tells a nearby friend that they better leave before the law arrive and ask questions.Marcel then is forcefully evicted for plying his trade in front of a store and continues his rounds, finally stopping for bread on his way home to his wife and dog. Before dinner, he takes mans best friend for a walk and visits a local bar for a night cap.Next, a group of police officers and Red Cross workers arrive at a shipping container and when it is opened they discover a group of black immigrants stowed away inside. A small boy runs from them and escapes. Marcel sees him under a bridge and offers him food and water. Unfortunately, the officials are nearby and ask Marcel if he has seen the escapee and he says no.Back to the bar where Marcel has a conversation with his friend, Chang about his legal status. Chang tells him that he was easily able to purchase fake identification papers in order to remain in France.Marcel's wife is admitted to the hospital for tests for severe abdominal pain and when her husband returns home he finds the runaway hiding there. He feeds Idrissa, and the child tells him that he is on his way to England to reunite with his mother.A nosy neighbor looking out his window sees the hideaway and calls the police. A woman friend, Yvette, agrees to hide and take care of Idrissa while Marcel travels to Calais to a refugee camp and the boys grandfather tells him that his daughter is in London and has a good job there.In the meantime, the law is in hot pursuit of the dangerous little criminal, who has made the local press. Marcel arranges for a boat to transport Idrissa to Britain but needs $3,000 Euros. The townspeople rally together for a benefit concert to raise the cash. The conclusion is somewhat sentimental but can be overlooked for the positive redeeming message of this film.