Building a time and a place of his own, with an absorbing sense of mise-en-scène -- I feel there is no nation, no language, no period of time here --, Kaurismaki's social drama is almost a critic to the brothers Dardenne: his "reality" is lighter, closely followed by still shots, static scenes and a discolored, oldened set design. Again, his social "reality", not always interesting, is pure dream, pure imagery. It might be tempting to call it fake. If it is, then is also personal.

Heavy-handed moral tale about immigration issues told in Aki Kaurismäki's personal style, marked by extremely dry humor, references to classic French movies and never ending optimism. Watching at those expressionless old actors I soon got bored. Interesting use of music, with cheesy melodies sounding somewhere in the background. Not a bad movie overall, but about as exciting as being old...

An original tale told with the usual Aki Kaurismäki charm. Gets too silly at times though.

A deadpan quirky comedy that just didn't wow me, but at the same time I can appreciate a well-made film when I see one.

Optimistic, sometimes witty... but also terribly naive, predictable and at the same time improbable. Deserves a score somewhere in the middle of the range.

"Le Havre" has all the elements that make Kaurismäki's work worthwile, yet this time round he seems to be leaning more towards conventional storylines. Overall, it is a good film but nothing special. And Kati Outinen is once again pretending to be acting. We're not convinced.

French fairytale - a funny feelgood film from Finlands father of offbeat fatalism...

Touching story about an illegal immigrant child and a simple shoeshiner, who tries to help even facing his difficult life.

A bit too restrained to be funny, a bit too stylish to be engaging and a bit to optimistic for an young cynic.

It's been so long since I've watched a Kaurismaki piece that I forgot I good it was. He was always a realist filmmaker, dealing with themes that are truthful, but handling those subjects with sweetness and beauty, making it too hard not to feel gracefully touched by his expression.

"Kaurismäki's style throughout remains, as ever, resolutely direct in its clean lines and saturated color." - Phil Coldiron

Kaurismaki weighs in on the immigration issue. At best, the film has a sweet and hopeful message--that ordinary people can behave with compassion and courage and this can make all the difference in the world. At worst, the film is overly-sentimental and glosses over the real and difficult challenges of the immigration. I'm somewhere in the middle, but I like Kaurismaki's deadpan, quirky style, so that's a big plus for me. Loved Little Bob, too.

15 Ekim 2011, filmekimi & yonetmenin storytelling tarzi benim zevkimden cok uzaklarda. / multeci cocuk, ulkeden ayrilinca, hasta kadin iyilesir. aslinda parayi toplayan, yemek pisiren ve sert tavirlariyla kocasini elinde tutan kadin, 'devlet'tir. cocuk, ulkeyi terkedince, devlette iyilesir ve kendi topraklarindaki (evindeki) rutin, sikici, otoriter oldugu yasantisina geri doner.

Pretty basic Kaurismäki. Great cinematography, dry humor and no facial expressions.

Kaurismäki employs his trademark deadpan wit, unadorned directorial approach and unsubtle social commentary to tell the simple but compelling story of a destitute shoeshiner and his selfless attempt to help an immigrant boy. For the most part, the film works, without much dramatic tension, but smart, witty and heartfelt enough to be engrossing. The finale however is a sentimental mess, as the script resorts to pitiful contrivances in order to offer a sugary, mawkish fairytale ending.

Utter rubbish, a little moral tale taking place in a caricature of a seaside French town, unfashionably full of well-meaning characters and nary a single wrongdoer, and with a fairytale ending. But as always, Kaurismäki isn't interested in realism, and the film triumphs through its simple wisdom, tasteful humor, social relevance and sweet cinematography. André Wilms' acting hits some sour notes, and the director has done much better in the past, but I recommend this.

85

In his trademark deadpan fashion, Aki Kaurismaki tells the story of a ne'er-do-well who comes to care for a young refugee, and who takes a very odd route towards securing his friend's freedom. Lightweight, but delightful moments abound: "I am the family albino", in context, is one of the funniest lines of the year. Andre Wilms is excellent as the crusty hero, and Kati Outinen is delightful as his ultra-deadpan wife; as the refugee, Blondin Miguel makes good with a slightly underwritten role.

As opposed to a Belgian misguided rip-off I've seen this year, Kaurismäki clearly masters his offbeat buoyant style, punctuated by moments of sheer banality without going overboard. The lack of eye-popping aesthetics or commanding performances might hold off the movie-going mass, since you won't find any of them here, but if good-natured fun is your game, then you've come to the right place.