A soulful comedy about caring, kindness
and the courage to do what is right
It always seems suspicious when a film gets a 99% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes — there's probably a huge marketing budget and a lot of muscle behind the hype. But with LE HAVRE, the opposite is true — a small indie production, virtually no marketing budget and no hype.

This film has been embraced by so many types of film writers, critics and presenters — mainstream, indie, cineaste, spiritual; young and old — in so many different forums around the world — print, broadcast, blogs, film societies — that LE HAVRE's authenticity, quality and relevance is not in doubt.

It never opened in Cincinnati although it screened in other middle-markets like Denver, Phoenix, Omaha, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis late last year — probably because other more mainstream films could make more money. But quality, not box office success, is a critical factor in how Cincinnati World Cinema selects its films, and so here we are — this beautiful film about ordinary people who do extraordinary things is with us for just one day only, Sunday June 24, at 4 and 7 pm.

LE HAVRE is entertaining, thought provoking and multi-dimensional — a compassionate, funny and heart-warming film, filled with ironies and random hilarities, about the importance of being kind and having the guts to do what is right. A touching story about everyday working people, it is also an homage to French cinema and French culture.

Employing Kaurismaki's typical low-key comedic style (i.e.: it is not a "message" film), it is also about politics, community and responsibility and how we regard and react to the world-wide, and local, changes wrought by immigration.

It offers excellent chemistry between a veteran French actor and a young Senegalese newcomer as the lead protagonists, a Finnish gem of an actress as the stoic wife, an enigmatic police detective, "Little Bob" a real-life musician known as the Elvis of Le Havre, a community full of colorful offbeat characters. And the dog Laika, rivaling Uggie in The Artist as a scene stealer.

Well-written with authentic, down-to-earth characters using deadpan delivery to create a soulful tale, it's not surprising that LE HAVRE won the Fipresci Prize at Cannes for Best Film, received a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes, took top honors at the Chicago and Munich festivals, and was an official selection at the Toronto, New York and Locarno festivals. Demonstrating the truly global nature of cinema today, LE HAVRE, with a Finnish director, was shot in France with a French-speaking cast, produced by a triumvarate of Finnish, French and German companies and was Finland's official entry for an Oscar as best foreign film.
 

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LE HAVRE is family friendly — The absence of drug use, harsh language, violence and sexual situations make it suitable for young people, middle-school and older. Indeed, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce kids to subtitles and the world of international cinema. (See Roger Ebert's comments in the film review section below.)

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§  SYNOPSIS (UK)
§  SYNOPSIS (New York)
§  SYNOPSIS (Chicago)
§  SYNOPSIS (Cincinnati)
§  SYNOPSIS (FR) + the city of Le Havre today + French trailer
§  More background on the film

With elements reminiscent of Melville's classic Army of Shadows, Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's retro sets and lighting recall a 1940's spy or crime drama. His trademark use of colorful sets combines with characters, camerawork and music to give the definite look and feel of a period film.

The director is one of only a few film makers who have created their own cinematographic universe. As with films by David Lynch or Pedro Aldomovar, a Kaurismaki movie has its own rules, its own characteristics and often even its own actors who appear in every film. Like paintings by Edward Hopper, the scenes from Kaurismaki's films are timeless, often melancholic, and very carefully constructed.

Yet this story is driven by present day issues - looking at immigration in Europe from a variety of angles while pitting human compassion against bureaucratic border controls and deep-seated prejudice. Despite the serious subject matter, Le Havre has a whimsical quality that feels at times surreal — Kaurismaki's fascination with myriad shades of blue, in backgrounds, makes his sparing use of bright primary colors, red and yellow, pop rather noticeably.

Marcel (veteran French actor André Wilms) and Idrissa (young Senegalese actor Blondin Miguel) show us how people from different cultures interact in surprising, humanistic ways. As a young illegal immigrant from Africa, Miguel's debut performance is impressive as he communicates much despite saying little. Ditto for Marcel's wife Arletty, (Kati Outinen, Best Actress winner at Cannes for The Man Without a Past). Consistent with director Kaurismaki's minimalist approach, Arletty says little but her expressiveness speaks volumes.

Set in a working class neighborhood in the French port city that gives the film its name, LE HAVRE is leisurely paced with a naturally flowing story - a pleasing counterpoint to the flashy, over-stimulating, gimmick-laden films that occupy most big screens in the Cincinnati area.

§  Nominations & Awards

Nominations & Awards

Cannes Film Festival
2011, Winner, FIPRESCI Prize, Best Film (in competition)
2011, Winner, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki
2011, Nominee, Palm d'Or, Best Film Aki Kaurismaki

Chicago International Film Festival
2011, Winner, Gold Hugo, Best Feature Film

Munich Film Festival
2011, Winner, Arri-Zeiss-Award, Best International Film

César Awards, France
2012, Nominated, César, Best Director (Meilleur réalisateur)
2012, Nominated, César, Best Film (Meilleur film)
2012, Nominated, César, Best Production Design (Meilleurs décors)

European Film Awards
2011, Nominated, European Film Award, Best Film
2011, Nominated, European Film Award, Best Actor
2011, Nominated, European Film Award, Best Director
2011, Nominated, European Film Award, Best Screenwriter

National Board of Review, USA
2011, Winner, NBR Award, Top Five Foreign Language Films

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
2012, 3rd place, NSFC Award, Best Foreign Language Film

Prix Louis Delluc
2011, Winner, Prix Louis Delluc Best Film

Satellite Awards
2011, Nominated, Satellite Award, Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language Film

Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
2011, Nominated, TFCA Award, Best Foreign-Language Film

Image Awards
2012, Nominated, Image Award, Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture

Jussi Awards
2012, Winner, Jussi, Best Cinematography (Paras kuvaus)
2012, Winner, Jussi, Best Direction (Paras ohjaus)
2012, Winner, Jussi, Best Editing (Paras leikkaus)
2012, Winner, Jussi, Best Film (Paras elokuva)
2012, Winner, Jussi, Best Script (Paras kasikirjoitus)
2012, Winner, Jussi, Best Supporting Actress (Paras naissivuosa)
2012, Nominated, Jussi, Best Art Direction (Paras lavastus)
2012, Nominated, Jussi, Best Costume Design (Paras pukusuunnittelu)
2012, Nominated, Jussi, Best Supporting Actor (Paras miessivuosa)

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
2012, Nominated, Critics Choice Award, Best Foreign Language Film

Chlotrudis Awards
2012, Nominated, Chlotrudis Award, Best Supporting Actor

REVIEWS        LE HAVRE offers much to enjoy and think about ... as these opinions illustrate: "Perfection in cinema ... brilliantly conceived ... If you see only one film this month, make it Le Havre."      Jennifer Merin, Alliance of Women Film Journalists      Read the complete review "Recommended! Eloquent use of color, impeccably stylized - Kaurismaki's warmest, most engaging film."      Mark Jenkins, National Public Radio      Read the complete review "Le Havre has won many festivals, including Chicago 2011, comes from a Finnish auteur, yet let me suggest that smart children would especially like it. There is nothing cynical or cheap about it, it tells a good story with clear eyes and a level gaze, and it just plain makes you feel good."      Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times      Read the complete review "Exquisite! One of the most enjoyable pictures of the year. ...this marvelous cast of characters, the exquisite comic timing, the peculiar cinematic tone and Marcel's adorable dog named Laika ... become something bigger than the movies, something as impossible and ridiculous as human goodness in a terrible world."      Andrew O'Hehir, Salon      Read the complete review "Figuring that we already know something about how harsh life can be, Kaurismaki reminds us of its modest charms and fleeting beauties, and of how easy it is, in the face of cruelty, to behave decently. Le Havre is also a love letter to France, in particular to a half-imaginary, half-vanished realm of proletarian Frenchness incarnated in the films and popular music of the first half of the 20th century."      A.O. Scott, The New York Times      Read the complete review "One of the ten most spiritually literate foreign language films of 2011. Kaurismaki calls Le Havre an 'unrealistic film.' Sadly, he's probably right. It is unrealistic in this day and age to focus on the poor and the elderly, to lift up the basic goodness of people, to criticize the inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants, and to show how we are all connected with each other in ways we have never considered before. Le Havre has it all - humor, sadness, health and illness, friendship and community, and doing the right thing in a world that is going a little mad with hatred for the 'other'."      Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice      Read the complete review