Review of Samba (2014) by Jennifer T — 06 Feb 2016

He is called Samba, but cannot dance...

This review refers - as usual with me - to the original version with subtitles + and also: no content information - so SPOILER-free:

After having watched this French blockbuster "Intouchables" - rather lately on dvd only 2 years ago, I was really pleasantly surprised. A significant reason for this I will come back to again down below...

"Intouchables" from 2011 was a comedy, "Samba" is more of a social drama with some comedic ingredients.

So Samba is completely different from its predecessor. Still, I was not disappointed with it at all, as some other reviewers here. Right on the contrary:

The serious issue of the "sans-papiers" (illegals without a passport/ aliens) is dealt with in a quite credible way, given the fact this is a mass-compatible movie (!).

Omar Sy from Intouchables is acting really great here. He plays his character with soooo much heart and sincerity and does completely without any cool antics/ moves.

The well-known C. Gainsbourg shows a largely credible acting burnout patient in action. Her initially so brittle restraint and awkward uncertainty until she all of a sudden explodes in the office with anger, fit quite wonderfully.

Certainly some stereotypes can not be avoided, but an enormous advantage is, that the two directors Toledano + Nakache cast amateur actors for numerous supporting roles of the "sans papiers" - yes, authenticity rules !!! Very good.

In order to finally come back to the one main reason referred to above:

I loved it, how this splendid Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi adds layers to the film by creating a wonderfully melancholic atmosphere, that simply works tremendously right and honest for me.

I thought, that was just as awesome with Intouchables. Timid beauty that rather cheeky Hollywood film music can only dream of - cos this is the old Europe, yanks !!!

Conclusion: One more time, Nakache + Toledano manage to deal with a serious issue credibly and yet to stage it with fairly light hand. Good job.

Rating = 85%.

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