If you haven’t yet seen The Intouchables you’re missing out on a truly well-acted, wonderful film and directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano are back with their first film since and have reteamed with Intouchables break-out star Omar Sy for a bit of a crowd-pleaser. Attempting to walk the line between drama, comedy and romance, for the most part it works if not a little incongruous, but overall it’s too much of a soft lob, eliminating any need to get overly excited.
Sy plays the film’s title star, a migrant from Senegal that has been working and living in France for the last ten years, doing what he can in an attempt to get working papers so he can stay in the country, earn a living and send money back home to his family. Samba works in catering and has just received an offer for a new, longterm contract, something he believes will be sufficient enough to get him a residence permit so he can finally remain in France legally. The authorities see it a bit differently.
Samba is arrested and eventually in need of help if he wishes to remain in France, help that eventually comes from Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a rookie immigration worker on leave from an executive position after burning out. The two form a unique bond as Samba is ultimately released from detention, but told he must leave France. His need to make money for his family back home gives him no option but to stay illegally, working odd jobs from trash sorting to window washing, hoping he’s able to avoid the authorities until enough time has passed and he can, again, apply for residence papers.
For what it’s worth, Samba doesn’t reach the emotional peaks The Intouchables climbed to, but it doesn’t appear to be trying to be anything more than a middle of the road crowd-pleaser. Nothing wrong with that, it’s at least more accomplished than most Hollywood studio drivel of the same sort thanks to competent filmmaking and satisfying performances from the entire cast.
When it comes to those performances, Sy is one hell of a charismatic actor and his wide grin and somewhat aloof gate adds to that charisma as he towers over his co-stars. Gainsbourg, on the other hand, has become known as the muse to Lars von Trier‘s sexually charged movies, but here we see a much different side to her as a rather timid woman still trying to sort through her feelings and recover from her emotional breakdown.
Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Past) also plays a small role as Wilson, a fellow illegal immigrant that befriends Samba and the two eventually begin looking for work together. Rahim provides the majority of the film’s lighter moments including a strip tease on a window washing lift and a brief moment of reprieve involving the tossing of some boots from a rooftop as he and Samba try to escape the immigration authorities.
Ludovico Einaudi provides the film’s score after his lovely track “Fly” provided the musical backdrop for Intouchables. His soft touch on the piano guides the film’s narrative to the point I could close my eyes and just listen, and it would be just as satisfying.
Overall, Samba is a good movie, but it’s no grand spectacle and don’t go expecting the $426+ million Intouchables made worldwide. Nakache and Toledano clearly know how to make a film that will please the majority of their audience and for that I can’t fault them.
