Solidarity lives here
Le Havre is a film written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki, starring: Andre Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darrousin, Blondin Miguel ... duration: 93 minutes, production of Finland / France / Germany, 2011.
From the movie "Le Havre" by Aki Kaurismaki
This is humanistic, unpretentious, humorous and optimistic colored, small but considering the importance great movie - such is "Le Havre", the last movie of Finland's film master Aki Kaurismaki. This is minimalist story about two elderly, the poor bohemians (failed artist and housewife), who saved a young African immigrant from the police in the European port of Le Havre (France) who was on his way to London, and he arrived in the ship's container. This is Kaurismaki's answer on the subject of immorality and hypocrisy of European powers.
That is what he talks about. In French. Black humor is his own way. In postmodern style and retro branding, Kaurismaki offers viewers their faith in small, so-called unimportant people, pointing to the policy in Europe that aggressively ignores immigration. And more importantly - Kaurismaki shows us that there is love, pure and unspoiled human happiness and human solidarity. At least only in the "Le Havre", in another unusual view of life-like film.
That (life as a film) is a specialty of this cult Finnish author whose work adorns the simplicity of author's approach, the warmth in dealing with the characters, the absurd of existence in all sad, but beautiful moments, ali i metafilmske reference prethodna dela i omaže.. In this case, it's about author's reminiscences of his own films "Bohemian life", "I hired a contract killer," even the "Leningrad cowboys". Also, it's about homage to films by French director Jean-Pierre Melville.
Helsinki harbor was remembered in the Kaurismaki's films "Shadows of Heaven" and "Lights in the dusk". That harbor was replaced by the Havre harbor, but it is the same Kaurismaki's metaphor for life itself – we are leaving the harbor in the pursuit of happiness, we are coming back in the sunset of life, we live in it watching other people come and go, we welcome and say goodbye, we rejoice and mourn.
In the Kaurismaki's harbor time and people seem to have stopped sometime in the seventies of last century. In the author's nostalgic past. There aren't new facade, no modern cars, electronic devices. Only the narrow streets, antique bars from which we hear the romantic sound of the accordion, bakeries, small shops where unusual local community finds everything it needs. They are excluded from the world of spectacle, the race for money and prestige.
Local fishermen are true philosophers who tells about Russian literature, a police officer who hates people, the failed writer who with spiritual peace cleans shoes of others, and his ill beloved wife, waitress, saleswoman, and little black boy whom everyone in the community try to help. This is the people, whose kindness produces kindness, in the author's world of incorrigible optimism, beauty, life, the true sensitivity and distinctive poetics of the absurd.
Thus characterized by great characters in the interpretation of his beloved actors Vilmsa Andrea, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darusena and small blonden Miguel (Kaurismaki's "stiff" acting and declamation few replicas) Kaurismaki subordinates scenography and music (rock sequence of memorable performances of the band Little Color) and the movie rhythm. The only negative character is a heartless social system. However, it couldn't destroy the solidarity of those little people in the community. Kaurismaki convinced us, with his explicit authors view, that is impossible. And because of that, the film "Le Havre" is not to be missed. After it, the viewer will feel better and nobler than he was.