Le Havre: Magic By the Seaside

Le Havre

Written and Directed By: Aki Kaurismäki
Starring:   Andre Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Blondin Miguel, Roberto Piazza, and Laika.
Director of Photography: Timo Salminen, Editor: Timo Linnasalo, Production Designer: Wouter Zoon
Rated: Unrated, but truly a film for the whole family.

A correction to the location of the town "Le Havre" has been made. The town is located in France, not Finland, though the film and its director are Finnish.

            Le Havre, a very witty and adorable comedy from French director Aki Kaurismäki, is best watched with a nice cappuccino, as the sweetness of the characters and world reverberates through every frame. You might not think it if you read the film’s synopsis, which concerns an old poor man, his terminally ill wife, and the smuggling of an illegal immigrant to London. But in Mr. Kaurismäki’s world, none of that is really too stern, who instead paints a world of nostalgic delight on a costal town in France. It’s the type of place you may have thought went extinct decades ago, and perhaps that is true, except Mr. Kaurismäki wants us to believe in fairy tales nonetheless.

            The action begins with a scene of absurd comedy as Marcel Marx stands in a train station, waiting for the next customer at his shoeshine. A man sits down, but is cautiously watched by a couple of men in dark coats. When the man leaves, he runs and is shot down. “Luckily he had time to pay me,” Marcel smugly remarks before leaving himself. We soon learn Marcel lives a simple though not unrewarding life: nights at the local bar, friends at the bakery, and an adoring wife who truly loves him, taking care of his every needs. But she suddenly becomes ill with cancer, leaving Marcel alone.

New York Film Festival: The (Unofficial) Awards!

With tonight’s screening of The Descendants, the New York Film Festival wraps up its 49^th year, and one of its most ambitious years in terms of its expanded programming and excellent selection. Of course, NYFF now turns toward the future, with a year-long retrospective of works from the previous years in gearing up for the golden anniversary, including screenings of works by Marco Bellocchio and Carlos Saura in the coming weeks.

But one thing that the Film Society at Lincoln Center never does are awards. The 27 Main Selection films are all worth your time equally. Of course, this is America, and there are winners and losers.  Since people can only spend so much time at the movies this fall, one would like to know what is for sure worth checking out. So here are my awards. The top prize, “The Golden Bull,” named after our now infamous Wall Street symbol in the city.

The Golden Bull: A Separation, a film by Asghar Farhadi

The Silver Bull: Martha Marcy May Marlene, a film by Sean Durkin

Best Director: Bela Tarr, The Turin Horse

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Shame

Best Supporting Actor: Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Le Havre

Best Actress: Kirstin Dunst, Melancholia

Best Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Best Screenplay: Le Havre

Best Cinematography: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

New York Film Festival: Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre

Le Havre

A Film by Aki Kaurismäki

Finland/France

            Le Havre, a very witty and adorable comedy from French director Aki Kaurismäki, is best watched with a nice cappuccino, as it is truly one of the sweetest films ever conceived. You might not think it if you read the film’s synopsis, which concerns an old man, his terminally ill wife, and the smuggling of an illegal immigrant to London. But in Mr. Kaurismäki’s world, none of that is really too stern, who instead paints a world of nostalgic delight on a costal town in Finland. It’s the type of place you may have thought died out decades ago, and perhaps that is true, except Mr. Kaurismäki wants us to believe in fairy tales nonetheless.

            The action begins with a scene of absurd comedy as Marcel Marx stands in a train station, waiting for the next customer at his shoeshine. A man sits down, but is cautiously watched by a couple of men in dark coats. When the man leaves, he runs and is shot down. “Luckily he had time to pay me,” Marcel remarks before leaving himself. We soon learn Marcel lives a simple though not unrewarding life: nights at the local bar, friends at the bakery, and an adoring wife who truly loves him, taking care of his every needs. But she suddenly becomes ill with cancer, leaving Marcel alone.