Here’s an oddity: a tonal mismatch in which the surprises are not entirely intentional. It’s part tough social realism, part sugary romantic comedy drama from the French commercial mainstream. Omar Sy plays Samba, an illegal in Paris who is picked up by the immigration authorities and faces deportation, despite 10 years of blameless law-abiding work as a kitchen porter. Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Alice, the sister of the stressed pro bono immigration lawyer who takes up Samba’s case, and Tahar Rahim is Wilson, a guy who befriends him. Inevitably, there is a spark between Samba and Alice. It is refreshing that this story does not simply unravel into miserablism, but the film’s weird narrative leaps are implausible and jarring. Scenes end up going nowhere: gritty reality sometimes gives way to farcical silliness, and Gainsbourg is not well cast in this rather gooey role.
