Le Havre

Aki Kaurismaki at his best and more political than ever. He left Cannes loaded with awards (and a few beers). Always a minimalist, always a sentimentalist, with a surefire weapon to conquer his melancholia: his unwavering tenderness towards people.

Synopsis

A bohemian middle-aged guy who once aspired to be a writer in Paris now lives in the port city of Havre. His life is divided between his work as a shoe-shiner, his frequent visits to his favourite bar and the care of his gravely ill wife. A chance encounter with an underage immigrant from Africa, hunted by the police, will bring out our hero’s innate optimism and his trust in the kindness of strangers. He will try to help the boy, even if he has to suffer the consequences.