Travels With My Film-Life: Le Havre

The Old Man and I do sit down and watch "Le Havre" by Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki. (You can read a Guardian interview with the gloomy Finn here).

I haven't seen any Kaurismaki films before and so this one may be jollier than others but I do like it very much. Anyway, "Le Havre" is set in place of the same name and is a story about a shoe-shine man, his wife, a policeman, and a young African boy... an illegal immigrant.... And some of the people in the neighbourhood... and the dog Laika. When The Old Man do see the characters in the local cafe he says with relief:
 "Oh Good. What a bunch of wierdos. I can tell them apart!"
The film has a stripped down style, to the point, and lovely to look at. It's humane, almost a fairy tale in modern translation... The Old Man do say.... a "morality tale". We do agree that the stripped down almost unemotional style is maybe what's necessary. Cos if the same plot had been lushed-up by Hollywood ....we would be throwing up in a bucket.

As it is. "Le Havre" is a lovely film and you get a Little Bob concert thrown in! ...Yes, I know that I do like things of the weirder sort. But really... see it if you can.