Lynn Belvedere

SAMBA

samba (2014)

SAMBA is based on the 2011 book “Samba pour la France” by Delphine Coulin.

SAMBA starring Omar Sy and with the screenplay written by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is the new offering by the team that came up with INTOUCHABLES, a very successful film which grossed USD $425 million.

Filmed on the suburbs of Paris, SAMBA was first shown on 7th September 2014 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film went on to receive a release in France on the 15th October last year and is screening in cinemas here from today.

French xenophobia, in its many forms, continues to be the driving force behind many French films. This time, we see the life struggles of a young Senegalese man Samba, played by Omar Sy, who is an illegal alien, who has been living and working illegally in Paris for ten years. His hope is that he can remain in France forever but the likelihood is that he will be found by police, with badly forged French identity papers in hand, and end  up being deported.

This is a message film, and despite annoying plot contrivances, and yes the French definitely do everything differently, we repeatedly discover the daily strife of Paris’ immigrant community and that many over stay their visas, work illegally and are paid much less money than local citizens.

There is supposed to be love chemistry between Omar Sy and his co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg, who has been cast as Samba’s neurotic love interest Alice. Alice is supposedly an executive business woman suffering from a serious burnout, who has just moved into a low stress job, complete with first day on-the-job-training as an immigration caseworker.

Unfortunately it is completely impossible to believe that there will ever be any more to their friendship than his interest in all women, and her sexual indifference to Samba is constantly demonstrated by her body language.

Directed by Rafael Gil and Eric Toledano, the plot is riddled with the expected clichés and awful one-dimensional characters. It is a rather slow paced 118 minute French romantic comedy about the search for happiness through humour, and the need to express one’s emotions. Readers also note that the film features a very odd and unexpected ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tqzwbjy0WQ

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -