BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Keira Brennan The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

kj4 Welcome, a tragic and heartbreaking tale of a 17-year old refugee from Iraq named Bilal, is a story about his attempt to cross the English channel from the French port city of Calais to a better life on the other side. Despite his best efforts, Bilal is unable to keep a plastic bag over his head, a necessity if he were to cross the channel by hiding in a truck in order to avoid carbon dioxide detectors designed to catch refugees. Swimming at the local pool after a failed attempt to cross in a truck, Bilal meets swimming instructor Simon Calmat, played by Vincent Lindon. In secret hope of swimming across the English channel, Bilal signs up for swimming lessons with him, and gradually the two form a genuine, though occasionally troubled relationship. Simon Calmat's character certainly has struggles of his own, and Vincent Lindon does a good job of displaying loneliness, sadness, and anger from his divorce that simmer underneath his character's tough veneer. Bilal and Simon seem to find each other at exactly the right time - Simon gives Bilal hope, and in return, Bilal gives Simon purpose and something to care about again. The ending, in which Bilal is 800 meters from the British shore and drowns as he is chased by the British coastguard, is an absolutely heartbreaking ending to a story in which the audience dared beyond belief to have hope. After Bilal's death, Simon goes to London to meet with Mina, the girl that Bilal was trying so hard to reach, and it is at this point that the idea of freedom is brought front and center. The ease with which Simon, a French citizen, is able to cross the English channel, which Bilal died trying to do, is eye-opening. Though technically not imprisoned, the refugees in the jungle of Calais are effectively trapped, and their mobility utterly restricted by their lack of official documentation. They are stuck in a holding pattern, with little hope for getting out. It is a harsh reality that a human being is not free unless they have paperwork saying they are allowed to be. Welcome reveals not only the complexities and nuances of each and every individual person, but how essential freedom is, and how for some, it is quite literally a matter of life and death.

hritchey-40709 Philippe Lioret's brilliant film about a 17-year-old Kurdish refugee from Iraq, named Bilal, who is trying to make his way to London to reunite with his girlfriend and also to find a better standard of living and greater security as an undocumented immigrant is refreshingly timely. Bilal has walked across the entirety of Europe and his final stop before making it to London is Calais, France. When Bilal discovers that he cannot cross into London by truck he decides to cross the English Channel by swimming. To do this, Bilal recruits the help of a local swim coach, Simon Calamant, to teach him how to swim. The two soon develop a bond and Calamant provides housing and assistance to Bilal, against French law. Overall, I do not think that the goal of this film was to provide an accurate description of life in the refugee camps, though it would have helped reinforce the desperateness of the refugee situation. I believe that the ultimate goal of this movie was to create a commentary on the way France treats its refugees and that was successfully done. Even the viewer who is not familiar with France's policies regarding refugees can pick up, without a doubt, the hostility with which the French people treat refugees. For example, the grocery store worker denies two refugees entrance to a grocery store and Calamant's neighbors can be seen arguing with him over his decision to help Bilal. It is even illegal for the French to give refugees a ride in a car. The movie was successful in portraying the dichotomy between legal and illegal residents and this was largely due to Calamant's character and the fact that through his actions a lot of the irrationality of France's refugee policies came to light. Even though the story of Calamant's divorce may seem at the surface level to be an unnecessary commercial addition, Calamant's wife was instrumental in getting Calamant to see the error in his ways regarding the treatment of refugees. Especially in the grocery store scene, his ex-wife stands as the antithesis of France's policies and starts to help Calamant realize their absurdity as well. Also, the film does not have a happy ending by design. This helps to illuminate the fact that the refugee situation has not been a positive one and that, for refugees, the road to complete resettlement is a long one. For many refugees, there is no happy ending. Ultimately, Lioret's film is still important almost ten years after its release. That says something about both the storyline of the film and the global refugee situation at hand.

Deenj08 Welcome, directed by Philippe Lioret is categorized as a drama and romantic film. It is a foreign film that is filled with romantic scenes along with dramatic themes in it as well. Phillipe Lioret is a French director and cinematographer, who is known for his films Welcome and Don't Worry. Welcome won the Lumiere Award for best film, one Cesar nomination for best cinematography, and two awards at Berlin. One of his most recent accomplishments took place in 2009 when he won the Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival. I liked the passion in the acting from Bilal and his desire to cross the English Channel to be with the love of his life. I personally love Bilal's determination and fortitude. In regards to the movie itself, the soundtrack added atmosphere to the film. For example, the music heightened the scenes when Bilal was learning how to swim. Also, the swimming in Welcome was not realistic enough for me. Bilal could barely swim in an indoor pool and then suddenly was able to swim in the English Channel. The first scene where you see the channel, the water is rough, cold, and very intimidating. It would have been nice to see him struggle a little more while practicing swimming in the channel's conditions. There are many ideas and themes seen in this movie. Two that are relevant to the French culture is the idea of illegal immigration and political compassion. This movie shows that France has a big issue on their hands in regards to how they treat illegal immigrants. Bilal and the other immigrants are not treated well and are not welcomed by the government of France. This is seen when Bilal goes in front of the judge in France. She tells him that he does not have to return to Iraq due to his country's conditions, but the people of France are not to been seen with him. They are allowed to live in France but not socialize with its people or go into restaurants or any public place. They are exiled to the refugee camp set up for them. The other idea, political compassion, goes along with illegal immigration in France. While many countries are experiencing this issue, France is one that does not have much political compassion for outsiders. This movie goes to show that France has a long way to go with how they treat their immigrants. I believe this movie was a cry for help in this area. The lack of political compassion was demonstrated in the scene when the police came to Simon's apartment to check and see if Bilal was there. They have a no toleration policy when it comes to these issues. I would highly recommend this movie. The acting and plot of this film was excellent, along with the suspense built up by the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

ringnew1 Vincent Lindon is again excellent in this simple and compelling story about a young man trying to travel to meet someone he loves but caught in a suspicious, racist and corrupt immigration system. Firat Ayverdi is also extremely good and believable in his role. The film has almost a documentary-like style that allows the viewer to be drawn in without forcing the emotional content. The film has a slow pace but manages to make that work and almost help the story. And as it reaches the late parts of the film the intensity increases. It's a simple story, but Lindon handles all the scenes with an absolutely natural approach and he manages to give the story even more dimension.