An ageing shoeshine, Marcel Marx (Andre Wilms) takes in a
young African boy, Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) after he escapes from a ship’s
cargo container in the French port
of Le Havre. Despite
Marcel’s lack of money and sadness that his wife Arletty (Kati Outinen) is
gravely ill in hospital, he does all he can to reunite the young migrant with
his mother who has settled in London.
Le Havre had an olden feel to it which permeated
the whole film. The location, costume, cars, and ambience gave the impression
that it was set in the late 1960s or early 1970s. You get the idea that the
world has moved on and forgotten people like Marcel who sits outside the
station waiting to shine shoes, looking down at people’s feet to see mostly
trainers and looking up at faces to see mostly aversion in people’s eyes. You
also get the sense that like many port cities, Le Havre is also a city that has been left
behind. Marcel’s neighbourhood in particular has an almost Dickensian air about
it with a small bakery, grocery shop and narrow streets lined by small, dilapidated
houses. The arrival of a young African boy in to the mix spices up the area and
adds a sense of rejuvenation, bringing the community together.
