The film "Le Havre" was released in Russia in 2012.
By that time it had already won the prize of the International Federation of Film at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film was shot in France by the Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki who is known for the films "Leningrad Cowboys Go America" and "The Bohemian Life".
This film is very different from American blockbusters.
Is seems very unusual and in every picture you can see the characteristic features of the director.
"Le Havre" is a tale that we can hardly imagine in today's world.
But it is made so skillfully that you begin to believe in wonder.
The protagonist, Marcel Marx, is a former bohemian writer, who is now cleaning shoes in the street.
He lives in a town, called Le Havre, with his wife Arletty.
Despite the poverty they meet, they do not lose hope and continue to live.
Nothing seems to happen to heroes.
But one day Marcel meets Idriss, African refugee, and becomes a real guardian angel for him.
He saves his life and help to join his family.
The film raises an important problem of the illegal immigration that swept Europe in the late XX - early XXI centuries.
Desperate Africans leave their homes in search of a better life.
But Europe cannot cater for them all and has to send them back.
As we can see in the film, Europeans themselves have lots of social problems like unemployment.
In this difficult situation Ami Kaurismaki makes us think that the most important thing is not to lose the human face.
We must remember that all people created equal and the most valuable treasure can be found is the moral principles.
March 2015
Vota adesso! 