Fresh and Exciting

Best movie ever!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

From my new country Australia but where I have spent nearly two third of my life, I really enjoyed this little trip back in France! Although the topic is not that of a holiday since it's about people looking for a better world and so becoming illegal immigrants. But the story concentrates more on one of them.... It's a charming story where people seem to be themselves, regardless of the circumstances, to remain "human beings" above all. It's sweet at time funny. I'm fond of J P Daroussin but did not know the other actors. So in one way it was refreshing but also rewarding to see someone whose acting I enjoy. I have never been to Le Havre so it was not really a trip down memory lane. And I was a little surprised to feel that the period did not seem to match with the year I expected it to be. I researched a little for my own satisfaction and read a very well written review from the New York Times ..."The film itself seems to belong to another era" It certainly did for me I kept struggling to feel whether I was in the 1930 or 40 years latter. It was a gentle ride and I enjoyed it very much.

This splendid film simply blew away my initial concerns about it being a simplistic take on immigration and authority. The timeless and beautifully fluid settings (which make the action feel like it's taking place variously in wartime, the 1950s and the present day) combine with terse, slightly stylized performances and a pared-to-the-bone script to give this ostensibly simple, lightweight story a broader significance that exceeds all expectations.The movie yields fresh depths and delights at every turn: the decor and colour palette (that make all of the sets, including a hospital, a café, a local street scene and the Le Havre quayside, look achingly beautiful); the lingering shots framing everyday objects and scenes; the nosey neighbours that effortlessly recall wartime collaborators; the conflicted cop; the rather gratuitous rock song; the beauty of older people and their love for each other; the relationships between young and old... the list goes on and on. Not to mention the oblique way that wider themes such as alienation, family, religion, charity, hope, love, belonging and nationality are also addressed. And it all seems so effortless. Just wow. I nearly gave it a nine, and I've literally never given a film a 9. I'm off to find more films by this director.

This was one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. You could pause very nearly every shot and use it as screensaver or make a large print of it; that's how beautiful and well thought out they are. Aki Kaurismäki evokes a sense of times past. He embraces the 'unreality' of his film, and the genre as a whole, and plays it up with great wit and art. As mentioned by previous reviews, he combines tragedy and comedy seamlessly into an extremely enjoyable and engaging film that doesn't try to pass itself off as life and as such engages on much deeper levels than its straightforward message or story would perhaps imply.There are so many small details and well-thought out quirks here that keep your attention that it easily accommodates for my internet fried attention span, even while the director chooses not to openly deal with the electronic world. It's a decision indicative of the thoughtful and unique approach to the film; it aids both the storyline and the viewer's experience immensely. I was grateful and relieved to be taken away into a simpler and more honest world; both in the film's outward image, and within the story's universe. Its worth emphasising; this film doesn't try to masquerade as real life and as such allows for a much purer enjoyment. You don't have to worry about checking your expectations once the end credits roll.Being beautifully shot may not have kept my attention for an hour and half, but the storyline and Kaurismäki's wit certainly did.

Aki Kaurismäki is the extreme left-leaning Finnish director hell bent on satisfying every raving Francophile's dream. With 'Le Havre' he's outdone even the most radical of today's French libertarians by fashioning a tale of a never-say-die, radical liberal curmudgeon, out to save victimized third worlders from the clutches of a 'fascistic' police state (for Kaurismäki that of course includes the Catholic church).Our curmudgeon hero in question is Marcel, whose surname Kaurismäki unsubtly dubs 'Marx'. A self-described Bohemian, Marcel used to be a bourgeoisie writer but now shines shoes for a living, obviously sharing an affinity with his working class associates (Marcel's shoe shine partner is an undocumented alien from Vietnam who carries a fake ID). Marcel is also a free-loader, often taking food from neighborhood shopkeepers on credit, with no intention of satisfying his debts. The neighbors tolerate him as Marcel's wife, Arletty (named after the legendary French actress of 'Children of Paradise' fame), appears to be a pleasant, unassuming type and soon become much more sympathetic as she falls ill (with cancer) and has to be hospitalized.The inciting incident occurs when the police find a shipping container loaded with African immigrants at a dock in Le Havre. A young boy, Idrissa, runs away and a police officer is about to shoot him with an automatic weapon (only to be stopped by kindly police inspector Monet, who instructs the officer not to fire since he's only a child).Wouldn't you guess but Marcel and Idrissa's paths cross and soon enough, Marcel is committed to helping the boy. He travels a long way to a detention center where he finds the boy's grandfather who informs him that Idrissa's mother is now living in London (believe it or not, 'Le Havre' is billed as a comedy and Kaurismäki finds it amusing that the warden at the detention believes Marcel when he claims he's Idrissa's Albino uncle!).The curmudgeon, now turned unstoppable hero, must find a way to hide Idrissa since the big, bad police are after him. He asks one of the neighborhood shopkeepers, to hide the boy, and she graciously complies by safeguarding him in her apartment above her shop. Another shopkeeper, initially cross with Marcel, now gives him loads of food for the beleaguered Idrissa. In contrast to what happened in World War II, average Frenchmen here are depicted as natural humanitarians who will even break the law in the name of justice. Only government officials, backed by the aforementioned bad guy police force and a reactionary clergy, stand in the way of Idrissa's liberation.Marcel needs a ton of cash to have Idrissa transported by boat to his mother in London, so he dreams up the idea of a benefit rock concert. All he has to do is convince a local pop star to perform but first must bring the pop star and his wife back together after they've had a lover's spat (again, we're supposed to laugh when Marcel reconciles the two wounded lovebirds).After Marcel raises the cash and brings Idrissa to the boat, Inspector Monet shows up (as he's done throughout the film) and makes it clear that he's thoroughly on Marcel's side. When the police come on board, he pulls rank and pretends that Idrissa isn't below, in the hold of the boat. One is reminded of the scene in 'Casablanca', where Inspector Renault covers for Rick who has just shot Major Strasser. Just as Monet misdirects his police officers, Renault misdirects the Germans by ordering them to "round up the usual suspects".Earlier, we see Monet reassuring the Prefect inside the church that he's determined to catch the boy but it's obvious that he has no intention of keeping his word to the religious authorities (seen here as in league with the 'devil' police state). Funny how Monet so easily is determined to risk his entire career for this one boy and join forces with the disgruntled Marcel. You'll also notice that Kaurismäki dare not suggest that any of the Africans that he introduces us to, are anything but upstanding, saintly citizens.To top it off, Kaurismäki cannot allow his audience to experience any of the hard knocks we might encounter during our travails in life. In the shockingly sentimental ending, Marcel's wife who has a terminal diagnosis, miraculously is cured and returns home with Marcel, presumably to put up with his never-ending curmudgeonly ways.As a registered Democrat, I am generally sympathetic to liberal causes. However, when some of my more radical left leaning brethren decide to twist reality by proffering up fairy tales of victimization and undeserved heroes sticking up for straw men victims, I can hardly remain silent. Le Havre is watchable to see just how far its misguided director will go in peddling such a self-righteous, sentimental left wing fairy tale.