Le Havre @ The Flicks 1 + 2

(93, comedy, drama, French with English subtitles)

When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home.

This movie is a sweet, lightly intoxicating thing like a small glass of calvados under the wisteria in the evening. With its simplistic plot, clearly defined characters, and inviting setting, this film has all the qualities and characteristics of a great short film– if you don’t count its feature-length runtime.

Rarely do films combine comedy with drama in such a natural, uncontrived way. With this film, director Aki Kaurismäki proves to be one of the few working directors able to pull off a mixture of dark, ironic, and deadpan humor while maintaining the same upbeat, cheerful, and optimistic tone throughout the entire film.

Le Havre is something refreshingly different, for a change. Pure cinema with a great touch of subtle humor.