Samba (2014)

Samba is the story of Samba Cissé (Omar Sy) a migrant from Senegal who has been living in Paris for the last ten years. He lives in his uncle's (Youngar Fall) flat. At the film's opening, he has just been put in detention as an alleged illegal immigrant.

Here he meets Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a former executive at some large firm, who is presently during charity work - helping those in detention - while on a sabbatical from her job.

The two strike up a friendship, and after Samba is released from custody - although regarded as illegal - form quite a strong bond. Over the course of the film (just under two hours), Alice comes to realise that maybe she needs Samba just as much as he needs her.

Samba also meets up again with a stranger he met in an Immigration line some time earlier, a man who introduces himself as Wilson (Tahar Rahim) from Brazil. The two of them find a series of odd jobs together under various assumed identities.

The film was adapted from a novel by Delphine Coulin, by the co-directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano.

One thing I must say at the outset is that despite the film's themes, and attempts at political commentary regarding the plight of France's many refugees, I would still regard it as a comedy. Maybe I'm wrong, but that was how I interpreted it while watching. The French have a real knack for comedy, even if underplayed, and this film is no exception. It felt to me like a political version of Amélie.

The music was perfect almost entirely, with a score by Ludovico Einaudi, as well as several other songs by various artists.

However, the characters didn't seem to be terribly well fleshed-out to me. They seemed far too clichéd for my liking, and could have done with a little more backstory and more believable motivations. Charlotte Gainsbourg is the standout here, but she is practically the only one.

Also, the film felt a little long to me. I enjoyed the setup of the film, and I enjoyed the ending, and I enjoyed several of the moments scattered throughout, but it seems that significant chunks of the middle could have been omitted. Perhaps the filmmakers tried to put in too much, for the sake of the statement(s) I believe they were trying to make, and got a little carried away.

A mildly enjoying way to spend a couple of hours.


6 out of 10.