Film Review: Samba

Not to be confused with a dance rooted in African tradition and synonymous with Brazilian culture, Samba is both the name of the lead character and a comment on contemporary European immigration.


SAMBA

Directors: Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano
Cast: Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim, Izia Higelin
Rating: (M)
Three stars (out of five)

 

After the runaway success of their 2011 comedy The Intouchables, directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano once again call on the talent of Omar Sy to light a spark inside what is essentially a paint-by-numbers rom-com.

Set in Paris, Samba is a story about the lives of a handful of migrants living in fear of deportation and the NGO workers who look after them.

Samba (Sy) works as a dishwasher in a hotel kitchen and lives with his uncle in a cramped flat.

When he lands in a detention centre and is ordered to leave France, he enlists the help of Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) to help him get a working visa.

Alice has recently taken a break from a senior executive role and is a bit of a wreck.

She takes a liking to Samba and it's obvious where the plot is headed.

It's refreshing to see Charlotte Gainsbourg freed from Lars Von Trier's wackiness in a role that doesn't involve controversy about censorship.

Omar Sy is great too, and his quirky mannerisms and cheeky comments help lift the weight of his depressing situation.

There are some really nice touches and amusing interludes, but unfortunately the script is flimsy and discordant.

But, as an insight into an immigrant's struggle and the ducking and diving required to stay afloat in France, Samba gets a tick for its feel-good factor and broad appeal.

- Mark Orton 

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