Le Havre Reviews

(MU) De lo más sentimental (con niño salvado y todo) y cristiano (sin alusión a la religión, pero muy iluminado en el momento del milagro como retribución al bien, cuando la mujer se cura del cáncer) ; viejos músicos que conmueven y un Leaud que se mofa dle ciudadano acusete....

Even though I have seen a couple of movies directed by Aki Kaurismaki, I'm far from being an expert on his work but since this movie (like most of the other movies he has done) received some very good reviews, I was really eager to check it out. On top of that, the action was set in France which made it even more intriguing to me. Eventually, like all the other movies directed by this guy, I admired the work done, I even enjoyed the damned thing and, yet, I can’t say I was really blown away by the whole thing. I mean, Kaurismaki has an interesting directing style and there is something quite unique about the dreary mood and the dead-pan humor he provides but I guess it's just not my kind of thing. On top of that, even though it was taking place in a realistic social background, it felt rather manufactured and I thought it was pretty obvious that it was made by a foreigner and not by someone French but maybe that was his goal, to give an enhanced view on this harsh reality. Still, André Wilms was really charismatic, the kind of characters you would only see in a Kaurismaki feature, and the whole thing is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.