In 2008 a young man named Bilal (Firat Ayverdi) has come to France as an illegal immigrant from war torn Iraq. His plan is to sneak into England so that he can visit the girl that he loves. Their communication is limited though because he can only ring her at home when she is amongst her strict father. His first attempt to sneak into the UK is a failure. Hiding amidst the floor of a truck with a number of other immigrants, Bilal is personally responsible for the guards uncovering them. Set before a judge, he is warned not to be caught trying to sneak in again and is not even granted access to a hostel to stay in. Living off food drives on the street, his plan is to become a great swimmer and surpass the English Channel by himself. He visits the local swimming pool where he meets Simon (Vincent Lindon), a grizzled swimming coach who has a delicate relationship with his wife as they prepare to separate. Bilal is an initially incompetent swimmer but as he takes up lessons from Simon his plan and his persistence become more apparent. Simon is initially skeptical because he knows the conditions of the Channel but he gradually becomes more sympathetic to the boys cause and invites him into his home.
The title of Philippe Lioret's touching film is an ironic one as this is an openly critical view of France's current immigration policy, where it is against the law for French citizens to help illegal immigrants. Severe fines and stints in gaol are expected for those that shelter these supposed aliens. Lioret was not even able to employ the immigrants on the streets when he was shooting the film for fear of being penalised. In an unprecedented move, his film was shown before The French Parliament in a bid to try and change the law. Given the conservatism of the Sarkozy government, rather than any fault of the film though, the laws remained unchanged. France's foreign relations have also been tests recently with the proposal of banning all Islamic veils. Given the controversy surrounding these issues, Welcome could be one of the most timely and significant films of the year. Simply but elegantly photographed by Lioret and his cinematographer, the film is continually tense and daring in its subject matter. The film's most confronting scene comes early on, demonstrating the lengths and the dangers the immigrants face. Stuck deep in a semitrailer, Bigal and others must each place a plastic bag over their heads so that the border guards cannot read the c02 levels and detect them inside. The high degree of verisimilitude in this scene and the tragedy, with which it ends, visualises this moment as a reality of the consequences faced by immigrants in their bid for a better life. The visualisation of French police searching homes without a warrant and the discussion of them using tear gas to remove migrants off the streets reminds us of the injustice and Lioret's uncompromising criticism of the government.
Adding to the realism of the film are the two central, naturalistic performances. Lindon has the look of a tough, worn man and only occasionally do we see the anger burst out of him but it is fierce enough to suggest why he is so isolated from his wife and the people around him. His character's relationship with Bilal is a significant portion of the narrative and it makes sense because he sympathises with his efforts to reach the girl. It is exactly what Simon himself cannot do for his wife and he even tells her that this boy is willing to travel across the world for someone, whereas he cannot even cross the road to reach out to her. In his film debut, Ayverdi is exceptionally good too. He is shy and quiet for most of the film but the script allows him to add a mixture of naivety and optimism, persistence, courage and stupidity to his characterisation. The film is indeed over-extended, even at just under two hours, but given the sincerity of the nuanced performances though the climax is still at least quite moving in its tragedy.
Welcome is a fine example of how a film can not only be entertaining but also informative and perhaps influential. It is buoyed by its strong performances and its high intensity. More significantly though, those that do not know what France's policies are will be shocked by what is defined in this film. The way that Lioret has grounded the film with a strong attention to realism may indeed persuade audiences to question the lack of empathy shown to immigrants, not only by the French government specifically, but by their own as well. Lioret makes no excuses for where his politics stand with this film and it makes for highly challenging and engrossing cinema.
The title of Philippe Lioret's touching film is an ironic one as this is an openly critical view of France's current immigration policy, where it is against the law for French citizens to help illegal immigrants. Severe fines and stints in gaol are expected for those that shelter these supposed aliens. Lioret was not even able to employ the immigrants on the streets when he was shooting the film for fear of being penalised. In an unprecedented move, his film was shown before The French Parliament in a bid to try and change the law. Given the conservatism of the Sarkozy government, rather than any fault of the film though, the laws remained unchanged. France's foreign relations have also been tests recently with the proposal of banning all Islamic veils. Given the controversy surrounding these issues, Welcome could be one of the most timely and significant films of the year. Simply but elegantly photographed by Lioret and his cinematographer, the film is continually tense and daring in its subject matter. The film's most confronting scene comes early on, demonstrating the lengths and the dangers the immigrants face. Stuck deep in a semitrailer, Bigal and others must each place a plastic bag over their heads so that the border guards cannot read the c02 levels and detect them inside. The high degree of verisimilitude in this scene and the tragedy, with which it ends, visualises this moment as a reality of the consequences faced by immigrants in their bid for a better life. The visualisation of French police searching homes without a warrant and the discussion of them using tear gas to remove migrants off the streets reminds us of the injustice and Lioret's uncompromising criticism of the government.
Adding to the realism of the film are the two central, naturalistic performances. Lindon has the look of a tough, worn man and only occasionally do we see the anger burst out of him but it is fierce enough to suggest why he is so isolated from his wife and the people around him. His character's relationship with Bilal is a significant portion of the narrative and it makes sense because he sympathises with his efforts to reach the girl. It is exactly what Simon himself cannot do for his wife and he even tells her that this boy is willing to travel across the world for someone, whereas he cannot even cross the road to reach out to her. In his film debut, Ayverdi is exceptionally good too. He is shy and quiet for most of the film but the script allows him to add a mixture of naivety and optimism, persistence, courage and stupidity to his characterisation. The film is indeed over-extended, even at just under two hours, but given the sincerity of the nuanced performances though the climax is still at least quite moving in its tragedy.
Welcome is a fine example of how a film can not only be entertaining but also informative and perhaps influential. It is buoyed by its strong performances and its high intensity. More significantly though, those that do not know what France's policies are will be shocked by what is defined in this film. The way that Lioret has grounded the film with a strong attention to realism may indeed persuade audiences to question the lack of empathy shown to immigrants, not only by the French government specifically, but by their own as well. Lioret makes no excuses for where his politics stand with this film and it makes for highly challenging and engrossing cinema.