Ordinary Misha... I came across the film absolutely by accident (there is such a famous surname... Depardieu), and even then not immediately. I have been delaying the start of the viewing even further... But one day that day came. More specifically tonight.
Unforgettable and pleasant...
Depardieu (and he is here, of course, the most important and famous) appears in the film exactly as a star of the first magnitude should be: not immediately and already propiated by secondary characters. But the film is not about the character Gerard. The main character, after all, is one of the two Arab brothers, Mesail, who is called "Michel" or "Mishu" in the new family. Depardieu will always be somewhere near Misha, or even emphasized separately. So, tireless fans of Gerard do not worry, Gerard by and large will draw all attention to himself, and there can be no talk about the secondaryness of his role.
At the time of the independence of the French colonies, the situation with Arabs and other migrants does not give rest to the French and their authorities. And if now we are talking about saving the French themselves from the migration of Arabs from the African continent that swept their country, then in the early 60s we were talking about somehow helping the Arabs to become independent of their countries or about fervent nationalism from the often inhospitable French.
The film will focus on the French problems with the Arabs in 1960.
I don’t know how the creators managed to do it, but the atmosphere of the 60s just permeated the film. In addition to the environment, of course, the behavior of the actors played an important role, which for their work can be safely applauded standing.
By and large, the story is not new when two brothers are separated by fate and their life paths diverge (these plots are closer to Bollywood). But for the first time in my century, I saw the story of two young Arab brothers, Algerians.
This film can be called drama, and melodrama, and somewhere comedy. But what fascinates me most about it is that despite the fact that the story is very lively and hurts deeply in the heart, the authors of the film did not go overboard in the tragic situation. And this means that the viewer should not worry much, worry, torment himself or cry about acute events. Although the film is catchy and does not let go until the very end. This is the golden emotional middle ground.
Personally for me, the situation when you are imbued with love and attention to absolutely all the characters of the film, says that it was a success. And when the disabled boy Paul, who broke a lot of wood, runs after the leaving bus Misha... You understand... That Paul, and Misha, and Georges, and Gisele are in your heart. The film was not created in vain.
Not the most difficult to understand, but a very heartfelt and touching story unfolding against the backdrop of the tragic events of that time, probably won applause from the venerable public at competitions and festivals more than once. The film may have gone unnoticed... But even if that's true... This is a big omission of honorable film experts.
Because the movie is awesome!
10 out of 10
And my favorite.