Welcome (I) (2009) User Reviews

Unpleasant take on modern refugee policy

[markedasread · 8/10 · 22 November 2009]

In Philippe Lioret's latest film Welcome the title is obviously a contradiction, but the meaning of the contradiction itself is just as obvious. It's about illegal aliens in Europe, in this specific film narrowed down to Calais in France. And they are certainly not welcome.

Pic holds an unsettling tone throughout. While story lines tend to diverge, it's reminiscent of Ulrich Seidl's Import/Export in that it tells a story about people in motion in contemporary Europe. People whose conditions were bad from their take-off point, but becomes nonexistent in the grand, boarder-less EU. The limitations with this modern refugee policy of EU is that it only benefits our own. This is all old news for Lioret's protagonist Bilal (Firat Ayverdi) who comes from war-torn Iraq. His journey to Calais where the story begins has been long and painful, and the way to his love in London seems to stretch far beyond the horizon for the seventeen year old refugee.

These are harsh times, Lioret proclaims through images of a port district infested with immigrants, battering cops and even authorities that manifest a despicable manner not only towards refugees but just as well to people trying to help them. One of them is Simon (Vincent Lindon), a disgraced ex-champion in swimming. He seeks atonement in Bilal for his previous mistakes in life and the two becomes committed to each other. But in these harsh times nothing is certain and struggle lays ahead for both of them.

Philippe Lioret covers pretty much the whole lot of it. Each of his characters carries around on fear, despair, desires, love, longings and struggle. It is classic ingredients taken from the ordinary lives of those immigrants. In Welcome, however, it blends well with the non-immigrants as well. It is something they have to live with constantly, but something that is exposed to us at times as well. It is indeed an unpleasant take on modern refugee policy, but it is nevertheless a necessary take.

An original and humanist film

[amir_rayatnazari · 9/10 · 29 March 2009]

An outstanding film! The history is very believable, the life of clandestine as in documentary, a very responsible cinema! And the actors all are excellent! It is sometimes necessary, in our small comfortable life and our well arranged existences, to receive a shock, and that's what came to arrive with shocking film of P.Lioret, which tackles the current and extreme problem of the clandestine. Under terrible conditions, they are ready to risk their being, hoping to create a better future. In addition to the fact that this history is inspired of an actual reality, one can only accept these characters: The swimming coach, splendid in his role; an ordinary man, monopolized in the beginning of the film by his sentimental problems, also by love for the woman who has left him, will take the risk to help in secrecy a young Kurdish refugee, which wants to cross the English Channel by swim. The total lack of humanity from governmental organizations, certainly reduced a little by work of voluntary NGOs, put us vis-à-vis intolerable and unbearable situation that had been forgotten in the West. So I say Merci to Mr. Lioret for this original and humanist film!

Thought-provoking and moving picture on human solidarity and affection

[yris2002 · 8/10 · 3 January 2010]

After watching this movie in an almost desert movie theatre I was overwhelmed by sadness, but after reflecting upon it, I could discover very positive feelings and a very interesting view of the theme handled. What I liked most is the idea of intertwining the story of human solidarity between Bilal and Simon with the also deep relationship between Simon and his wife Marion. I intended the movie truly thought-provoking in the way it manages to make one reflect on the concept of the "other", who is not only the distant, unknown one, and on the idea that human solidarity begins with those who live with us or near us day after day. Marion is so animated by the need to help the poor, abandoned clandestines, that she has in turn completely abandoned, physically and psychologically, her husband, to the point of being no longer able to see his truly loving soul. And the sad, moving and intense story between Bilal and Simon will help both to understand the value of human affection, which starts from the nearest ones, leading naturally to the furthest ones. I think this is a very interesting perspective, which goes beyond social denunciation and void criticism of institutions, because it appeals to the conscience of the single man and woman and seems to ask him/her: how much are you ready, in first person, to give to others, to go beyond selfish needs, how much are you able to sympathize with anyone, where anyone is a member of your family, as well as the "anyone" you may meet on the journey of your life? The cast, above all Vincent Lindon and Audrey Dana, are extraordinarily good in the way they manage to speak with conciseness and naturalness to the heart of the viewer. It is a movie which makes one reflect deeply on the reality of the clandestines (with which each European citizen and authority have to come to terms daily, without often finding certain and respectful attitudes) but more deeply on the very essence of human affection. A must see.

Heartland Truly moving Picture

[tollini · 10/10 · 22 October 2009]

I am a judge for the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival. This feature film is a Crystal Heart Award Winner and is eligible to be the Grand Prize Winner in October of 2009. The Heartland Film Festival is a non-profit that honors Truly Moving Pictures. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."

Bilal is a 17 year-old Kurdish boy from Iraq, who has just taken an arduous, three-month journey to Calais in France desperately trying to get to his girlfriend/fiancée in London. But in Calais he becomes stuck with many other clan-destines or illegal immigrants. These are people without a country. The French won't send them back to the Mid-East because there is a war going on. But they are not welcomed in France because they are clearly illegals. Even the local French people will violate French law if they help these clan-destines.

With this backdrop, Bilal comes up with the idea that he can swim the English Channel to get to his girlfriend. There is only one problem. He can't swim. He goes to a middle-aged French swim instructor, Simon, who not only teaches him how to swim, but also befriends him. Simon has his own problems. He is divorcing his wife and is terribly lonely. Bilal and Simon need each other and form a strangely beautiful symbiotic relationship.

This is a quiet and powerful statement on the individual courage and sacrifice of normal human beings. Bilal and Simon are single-minded in trying to do the right thing and will not be put off their objective. This is a very moving film that haunts you afterwords. It does not take a stand on legal or illegal immigration. It merely shows that these clan-destines are human like the rest of us and have their own stories.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.

Welcome...

[swissmixz · 10/10 · 30 October 2009]

The noun's meaning: a cordial greeting or hospitable reception given upon arrival; as well as its verb and adjective are horribly absent in Calais.

The crossing of the Channel is a treacherous endeavor for asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. The Channel Passers charge an arm and a leg (with little to no regards for safety conditions) for their clandestine operations. If caught asylum seekers and illegal immigrants are processed, tried, and sentenced to a life in limbo.

Their status allows them to stay in Calais but they are unwelcome and not allowed crossover to the Promised Land. Social workers are kept under careful watch and harassed by the authorities.

It is illegal to welcome an asylum seeker in your home. Jail time is awarded to good souls.

From Calais; when the fog clears, you can catch a glimpse the white cliffs of Dover: 34 km of rough waters to reach the Promised Land. By boat it takes 35 minutes to cross the Channel. By swimming… the world record was set at 6 hours and 57 minutes by a professional swimmer.

After traveling over 3000 km; from Iraq to France, Bilal; a Kurdish refugee, will attempt to crossover the Channel, by any means necessary.

This is a beautiful but devastating movie that will haunt your nights and dog your days.

Simply put: it is a must.

L'Europe est mort, vive l'Europe!

[davidgeneste · 5 August 2009]

Rightly so, Lioret's film 'Welcome' confronts us with a changing Europe, from one which used to be tolerant to the less-fortunate into one dominated by fear, exclusion and self-righteousness. The anonymous setting of the port of Calais - exchangeable with Dover, Bari or Tarifa or any other border town in Europe – and the hauntingly introvert piano score add to the growing hostilities towards refugees in Europe. The two main characters are, each in their own way, equally tragic: Bilal, a 17-year-old refugee from Kurdistan, in desperately pursuing an impossible dream, and Simon, a disappointed middle-aged French swimming instructor, in not being able to cling onto that dream. The friendship and the actual drama begin when they first meet in a local pool. So far so good. Regrettably, and perhaps regrettably, Lioret diminishes the intensity of this relationship by wanting to provide too many answers to too many irrelevant questions. The result is that story lines, actions and ultimately even the characters become blurred and incredible, which is a great sorrow to inflict on a topic of this social magnitude. One only wishes a little more Dardenne-style type of filming in this film! The strength of 'Welcome' is that is requires us to reconsider to what extent we are willing to be human, social and forgiving towards 'the other' in an ever-harshening world. By examining the attitudes of the shop manager, the neighbour and the bureaucrat, we are eventually confronted with ourselves. 'Welcome' is certainly not an easy film but a highly desirable one.

Emotional, but long

[Nagi4 · 7/10 · 2 November 2009]

A really nice piece about the want to reach your new life and your love. I really liked this piece. The acting was very nice and I thought the thematics of the film was interesting.

I liked the way the director used very plain ways to show emotions inside scenes. There were not that much underlining and there was room for the audience to think and gather some pieces.

The music was also very strong. There wasn't too much of it, but the scenes where it was used, It really gave something to the film.

I recommend this film for an adult viewer who is interested in civilizing him/herself. The one thing that dropped my points from 9 to 7 was the length. It was just too long and it was a great crime with this film not to edit all the boring stuff away.

Life Guard

[dbdumonteil · 9/10 · 10 May 2011]

"I knew a boy who tried to swim across the lake, It's a hell of a thing to do, They say the lake is as big as the ocean, I wonder If he knew about it" (Yoko Ono,lyrics slightly modified)

Lioret is one of the most promising French directors .His "Je Vais Bien Ne T'En Fais Pas " deeply moved the crowds .His "welcome" is at least as good,as harrowing and as...pessimistic , noir as his precedent effort.

He chose the right actor as the lifeguard :Vincent Lindon was perhaps never better in his part of a disoriented man ,estranged from his wife , in search of the meaning of his life .With his weary face ,his disenchanted looks ,he seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders .Which he does ,in a way.

France ,par excellence the country of refuge (particularly political refugees),is shown in a less-than-flattering light than usual;on the other hand ,one can wonder whether the United Kingdom is really the promised land as it appears in the film.In Calais ,people who gave a shelter to illegal migrants were actually troubled by the Police .Although this is not a true story,all that happens to the lifeguard is credible.

Images of Police vans,of sad beaches ,of free meals ,of informers (the neighbor claims that Simon helps the young Kurd in return for sexual relations!)

The divorced hero has become a cliché;but Lioret makes brilliant use of the screenplay cliché: it's perhaps because Simon has become a lonely man that he takes in his young protégé (one should note he's got no children whereas he is in his fifties ).Simon is ready to give all: his reputation ("yes I'm a gay,I sleep with him ,and I sleep with guys that's why my wife walks out on me" ),his dear treasures (his gold medal:"I gave him" ),and maybe even his job .

To swim across the Channel to get to your girlfriend Mina is an impossible task when you are 17 and you're not a first class swimmer.It's the young man's dream and Simon makes his dream his.

"Welcome" is a great movie,one of the best French movies of the last ten years.

Romeo and Juliet, across the Channel

[Chris Knipp · 9/10 · 2 March 2010]

Illegal immigration is the subject of this ironically titled film. But whatever generalizations it has to make are embodied in beautifully realized and touching characters and a specific story, which combines one of France's ablest and most experienced actors, Vincent Lindon, with a young Kurdish newcomer, Firat Ayverdi. Ayverdi plays the role of Bilal, a 17-year-old Iraq-born Kurd who needs to get from France to England to meet his sweetheart. Welcome begins with an intense focus on the border crossers Bilal is with. He has come a long way on his own, hanging under railway cars. Here he learns that won't work because the trains go too fast. He has to pay a handler to be hidden with others in a cargo truck. Images of the border lit up at night at the huge interchange near Calais, with dozens of huge cargo trucks slowly moving back and forth, are both beautiful and terrifying, reminiscent of the opening sequence of Arnaud des Pallières' Adieu. The sense of being at the mercy of vast forces is overwhelming. The cargo truck escape attempt fails both for Bilal and for the group of other young Kurds with him because Bilal can't stand to keep a plastic bag over his head during the customs inspection to avoid setting off the carbon dioxide detectors. He's held and released in Calais with the others, in legal limbo, with nowhere to stay, caught in the "jungle" of other illegals hoping to get to England. Bilal, we gradually learn, is an excellent athlete and has now decided to try to go it alone and swim the channel. He begins visiting the municipal swimming pool, where he pays Simon (Lindon), a swim coach, to teach him how to do the crawl and train for a long swim. Their interchanges are made rough and simple by the fact that Bilal speaks no French and Simon's English is limited. Simon is lonely and stressed out because his wife Marion (a soulful Audrey Dana) has left him. He also feels useless because a promising career as a competitive swimmer stopped short years ago, leaving him with this mediocre job. Locally the immigrants wandering in legal limbo are looked down on, and you can get harassed by police and subject to legal action for in any way helping them. There is an executive officer in the local constabulary specifically charged with seeing that these rules are enforced. Simon shares the general indifference to the young illegals' plight, but takes a liking to the bright-eyed, highly motivated Bilal, and soon realizes what his training goal is. Marion runs an on-the-street soup kitchen that helps the illegals. She obviously sympathizes with them and for doing so is harassed by cops herself. After taking in Bilal and a friend for a night early on, Simon gradually warms to their plight and also realizes that his actions may make Marion look on him more favorably. He is soon hassled by police due to a nasty neighbor who rats on him. But this only strengthens his resolve to help the boy and draws them closer. Meanwhile Lioret seamlessly deepens our understanding of Bilal with a swift succession of understated scenes. The youth was a soccer champion and runner back home and dreams of trying out for Manchester United. His girlfriend Mina (Derya Ayverdi) is with her family in London, who are in the restaurant business. Her father disapproves of her relationship with Bilal and an arranged marriage with somebody else is in the offing. Simon continues to be impressed by Bilal's single-minded devotion. Bilal and Mina are like Romeo and Juliet, separated by the English Channel. Bilal is making great progress in the pool, but his situation otherwise continues to be extremely dicey. Mina can rarely speak to him on the phone and he's mostly on the street with other Kurds, one of whom is out to get him for causing them to be caught in the truck. Things get better between Marion and Simon but more and more urgent for Bilal, who's now trying longer swims in the Channel itself wearing a wet suit. News comes that Mina is to be married off shortly. She sends a despairing message to Bilal that it's hopeless and he should not try to come. It's winter and Simon urges him not to try now, that it's too dangerous, and he should seek a way to remain in France legally. Lindon is typically subtle and convincing as a man in crisis drawn out of himself. Firat Ayverdi is an understated player with a strong natural presence. The final scenes of Welcome are deeply touching. I never thought seeing Manchester United on a TV screen could make me cry. This is a strong, vivid little film that tells its story with deft strokes and authentic atmosphere. The ideas of swimming the Channel, the star-crossed lovers, and the emotionally stressed grown-up who finds a sense of values through a youth are simple and standard enough, but Lioret's film-making and the acting are so good it all works, and the script by Lioret, Olivier Adam and Emmanuel Courcol is idiomatic and natural. The injustice and confusion of immigration policies are made extremely clear without ever resorting to a single moment of generalization. Welcome opened in Paris on March 11, 2009 to universal critical acclaim. Its critics rating on Allociné is 3.3 with a score of 88 points. The film won the Lumière Award for Best film; one César nomination (Best Cinematography) and two awards at Berlin. It was shown in March 2010 as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the series sponsored jointly by uniFrance and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and shown to the public at the Walter Reade Theater and the IFC Center, New York. Lioret's previous film, Don't Worry, I'm Fine/Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas, was included in the Rendez-Vous series in 2007.

Quiet but convincing

[MikeyB1793 · 7/10 · 4 June 2011]

A rather quiet type of film that tells an original, if rather melancholy, tale. It is European-like in that there are no histrionics or over-statements.

It's about refugees who are trying to make it to England from Calais, France. One of the refugees is befriended, grudgingly at first, by a French resident of Calais. This is probably the strength of the film – the growing friendship of these two very different people – a French citizen and an Iraqi refugee from Kurdistan, I did find the relationship of the French resident and his ex-spouse rather distracting and maybe superfluous. But the Iraqi refugee's connection to his girlfriend in London did resonate. This is a good and moving story.

Lioret makes no excuses for where his politics stand with this film and it makes for highly challenging and engrossing cinema

[Likes_Ninjas90 · 8/10 · 5 April 2010]

In 2008 a young man named Bilal (Firat Ayverdi) has come to France as an illegal immigrant from war torn Iraq. His plan is to sneak into England so that he can visit the girl that he loves. Their communication is limited though because he can only ring her at home when she is amongst her strict father. His first attempt to sneak into the UK is a failure. Hiding amidst the floor of a truck with a number of other immigrants, Bilal is personally responsible for the guards uncovering them. Set before a judge, he is warned not to be caught trying to sneak in again and is not even granted access to a hostel to stay in. Living off food drives on the street, his plan is to become a great swimmer and surpass the English Channel by himself. He visits the local swimming pool where he meets Simon (Vincent Lindon), a grizzled swimming coach who has a delicate relationship with his wife as they prepare to separate. Bilal is an initially incompetent swimmer but as he takes up lessons from Simon his plan and his persistence become more apparent. Simon is initially skeptical because he knows the conditions of the Channel but he gradually becomes more sympathetic to the boys cause and invites him into his home.

The title of Philippe Lioret's touching film is an ironic one as this is an openly critical view of France's current immigration policy, where it is against the law for French citizens to help illegal immigrants. Severe fines and stints in gaol are expected for those that shelter these supposed aliens. Lioret was not even able to employ the immigrants on the streets when he was shooting the film for fear of being penalised. In an unprecedented move, his film was shown before The French Parliament in a bid to try and change the law. Given the conservatism of the Sarkozy government, rather than any fault of the film though, the laws remained unchanged. France's foreign relations have also been tests recently with the proposal of banning all Islamic veils. Given the controversy surrounding these issues, Welcome could be one of the most timely and significant films of the year. Simply but elegantly photographed by Lioret and his cinematographer, the film is continually tense and daring in its subject matter. The film's most confronting scene comes early on, demonstrating the lengths and the dangers the immigrants face. Stuck deep in a semitrailer, Bigal and others must each place a plastic bag over their heads so that the border guards cannot read the c02 levels and detect them inside. The high degree of verisimilitude in this scene and the tragedy, with which it ends, visualises this moment as a reality of the consequences faced by immigrants in their bid for a better life. The visualisation of French police searching homes without a warrant and the discussion of them using tear gas to remove migrants off the streets reminds us of the injustice and Lioret's uncompromising criticism of the government.

Adding to the realism of the film are the two central, naturalistic performances. Lindon has the look of a tough, worn man and only occasionally do we see the anger burst out of him but it is fierce enough to suggest why he is so isolated from his wife and the people around him. His character's relationship with Bilal is a significant portion of the narrative and it makes sense because he sympathises with his efforts to reach the girl. It is exactly what Simon himself cannot do for his wife and he even tells her that this boy is willing to travel across the world for someone, whereas he cannot even cross the road to reach out to her. In his film debut, Ayverdi is exceptionally good too. He is shy and quiet for most of the film but the script allows him to add a mixture of naivety and optimism, persistence, courage and stupidity to his characterisation. The film is indeed over-extended, even at just under two hours, but given the sincerity of the nuanced performances though the climax is still at least quite moving in its tragedy.

Welcome is a fine example of how a film can not only be entertaining but also informative and perhaps influential. It is buoyed by its strong performances and its high intensity. More significantly though, those that do not know what France's policies are will be shocked by what is defined in this film. The way that Lioret has grounded the film with a strong attention to realism may indeed persuade audiences to question the lack of empathy shown to immigrants, not only by the French government specifically, but by their own as well. Lioret makes no excuses for where his politics stand with this film and it makes for highly challenging and engrossing cinema.

Friendship of a French man and a Middle Eastern Refugee

[brodek09 · 7/10 · 4 December 2012]

Welcome is a film that does not follow what you would expect of a movie about illegal immigration. Rather than portraying this young man's story while glossing over the especially gruesome parts of life as a refugee, it faces them directly, and this is refreshing from many American movies which have a distinctly "Disney" happily-ever-after approach. I liked also that the film focused on a refugee who is so determined to cross the English Channel. The viewer not only sees that he is determined to learn how to swim, but also faces the daily challenge of being hated by the people on the towns of coastal France who are being inundated by illegal immigrants. Philippe Lioret, the director of this film, had his start in the movie business by being a sound mixer and script editor in the 1980s. In the early 90s he started directing full-length films. He became interested in the situation of refugees in France, and wanted to make a movie talking about the hardships that they face. He spent six weeks among illegal immigrants, getting to intimately know their situations. The film was screened for parliament, pleading against the harsh laws that are imposed upon aiding refugees. Although this did not sway the government, the film did win a Lux Prize. The ideas presented in this film were very diverse and complex. One idea is one of treating all human beings as though they are equal. In this film, there is a lot of injustice towards the illegal immigrants, but Simon does what is right and aids his fellow man. Another idea presented in this film is the one that friendship found in unlikely places can help support people through their most difficult points of life. Simon is going through a divorce and Bilal is a refugee, but they manage to help one another in their own ways. I think that the whole topic is something that is something that is very controversial in France right now. Many people are divided on the issue of either saving these refugees, or getting overrun by them because of their kindness if they do. Another French aspect of this film is the way that the story flows. In an American movie, there would be the focus of the love story in most cases. However, this focuses on the struggles of the two lovers and eventually ends very sadly. An American movie would not be reviewed well because there is a sense of needing to have a happy ending in a film made in the United States.

One from the Left

[kayaker36 · 5/10 · 23 May 2011]

Virtually all the reviews here are laudatory but something odd is noticed. The countries most concerned in this lugubrious depiction of the illegal migrant experience are France and England, yet there is not an English or French voice among the lavish praise!

Yes, it is easy to say national borders should be open and unrestricted, as long as it is some other nation whose borders are to be crossed.

Bilal is a seventeen year old boy from Mosul in Iraqi Kurdistan. He wants to go to England to be with Mina. Bilal also wants to work in England to earn money to send back to his family in Iraq. This will be good for his family, good perhaps for Iraq or the autonomous Kurdistan region. Not so good for Great Britain, of course, sending its wealth abroad, but Bilal doesn't care about that. Neither does the maker of this film.

In reaching France, Bilal has violated the laws of all the countries he has passed through but he doesn't care one whit for that. Neither does the maker of this film.

A proper treatment of the complex question of migration from the Third World to the First would try to balance individual stories with mass migration's effect overall. But this film has no pretension of impartiality. In focuses on the story of one migrant, his dreams and many travails, and gives no consideration at all to whether England, France or the innocent townsfolk of Calais are required or even prepared to receive thousands of penniless migrants who have no desire to assimilate into Western societies.

An Emotional View of the Illegal Immigration

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 10 July 2015]

The seventeen year-old Iraqi-Kurdish Bilal (Firat Ayverdi) has crossed the Middle East and Europe trying to reach England to meet his girlfriend Mina (Derya Ayverdi) that lives with her family. However he is caught in Calais, France, and sent to a refugee camp. Meanwhile the swimming coach Simon Calmat (Vincent Lindon) is divorcing his wife Marion Calmat (Audrey Dana) and he meets Bilal that wants to have swimming classes with him. Soon Simon learns that Bilal wants to cross the English Channel to be with Mina and the love of Bilal affects him. Simon befriends the teenager and decides to help him. But France penalizes those who help illegal immigrants and a neighbor denounces Simon to the authorities.

"Welcome" is a French film with an emotional view of the illegal immigration, one of the greatest social problems of the century. We see on the news Mexican, Cuban and South American refugees trying to immigrate to the USA; Middle East and African refugee trying to immigrate to Europe; African, Central American mainly from Haiti and South American refugees coming to Brazil. In common, all these people expect to have a better life in the new country. But most of them do not have professional qualification and increase the legion of unemployed or subemployed and illegal workers in the new country.

The director Philippe Lioret brings a different and romantic approach to this problem, with a love story entwined with the sympathetic gesture of solidarity of a man that is needy since he is divorcing his beloved wife and is punished by the French laws for helping the immigrant. The beautiful story is heartbreaking; the performances are top-notch; and this movie introduced a debate in France about illegal immigration. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Bem-Vindo" ("Welcome")

Are you now, or have you ever been...?

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 8/10 · 2 December 2010]

When the Kurdish boy Bilal, on the run from war-torn Iraq, is caught trying to cross the border into Englad, he ends up stranding in Calais. Here he meets Simon(in the process of divorcing his wife), who is as taken aback by the 17-year-old's sheer determination to meet back up with his girlfriend, Mira, in London as we are, and agrees to teach him how to swim. Yes, this kid wants to cross the channel. This is about love, the criminalization of refugees and people fighting against seemingly impossible odds. I have yet to watch anything else by this director, but now I will be on the lookout for it. He correctly realizes that this story is powerful enough, and thus does not need any manipulation for us to be deeply affected by it. Everything in this is underplayed, merely showed, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. The music is minimal(that, or it was so subtle that I did not notice it most of the time) and subtle, with only a single use of a tense piece(and it was still not overbearing). Other than that, it consists of a soft, sad piano, a sort of "voice" to the helplessness of the situation. While the young couple are seldom granted even direct communication(it tends to be second-hand), we believe in their deep feelings for one another. The acting is excellent all the way, and the characters are well-written, and like everything else in this, credible. Granted, this only really shows one side to the argument... still, no one in this feels "evil". Another great thing, and one that also helps it be more removed from Hollywood, is that everyone speaks the language that makes sense for the situation. Their native tongue, or English if they're talking to someone who won't otherwise understand them. There is a little sensuality, moderate violence and disturbing content in this. I recommend this to everyone who can comprehend it(maybe no one under 11). 8/10

Realistic Fiction Take on the Harsh Realities of a Refugee

[acanaan-25253 · 7/10 · 6 April 2018]

'Vem Vindo' is a moving film that highlights the issues of immigration and refugee law, and the serious consequences that these discrepancies can have on individuals. Bilal, a 17-year-old Kurd from Iraq, travels 3 months to Calais, attempting to go to Britain to reunite with his girlfriend. However, he is met with challenges from international law, the French government, and the divided French public that ultimately puts him in a concentration camp-like situation. The French government and police force actively try to get refugees out of Calais, yet there's nowhere else for the refugees to go. Due to flawed international law, the refugees are not sent back to Iraq because it is a warzone, however, they cannot claim any status or residency in France and are not allowed to cross the border and the Channel into England. They are all essentially stuck in this town with no means to even try to create a sustainable life since they are banned from stores and cannot hold jobs. Besides being interned in a physical sense in Calais and 'The Jungle', the camp for refugees, they are also abused in a mental sense, whether or not they're in the camp. They are banned from stores, they have nowhere to bathe, and the police mimic camp guards by enforcing bans on the refugees, attacking them via means of tear gas, and encouraging the French public to dehumanize the already victimized group. The police essentially enact a camp hierarchy in Calais, as the refugees are at the bottom, and any French citizen who aids the refugees is punished as well. With that being said, the citizens in Calais are at odds with each other, as can be seen with Simon's neighbor snitching on him for helping Bilal. People have to constantly live in fear as the police have eyes everywhere and can use their power to manipulate others. The citizens who due choose to degrade and/or ignore the refugees are also a huge part of the problem as is brought to light by Marion. She calls out Simon for ignoring the issue when the refugees were barred from entering a general store to buy soap. Yet, even when Simon goes to create sustainable change for Bilal, Marion acts cowardly and tells him to stop.

While the movie highlighted the harsh realities of a camp system, it also failed to recognize many problems refugees face. Bilal gets lucky and is cared for by Simon, but most people are not so lucky. As viewers, we get to see little of "The Jungle", the camp for refugees. This is where the real damage due to lack of resources like shelter and food come into play. We see one character continue to harass Bilal for money, but besides that there is little emphasis for the urgency of resources. This movie does a great job of introducing the public to camp systems but has just scratched the surface of the true suffering refugees face.

a powerful, moving and deeply affecting drama

[gregking4 · 8/10 · 11 April 2010]

One of the standout films in the recent French Film Festival was Philippe Lioret's Welcome, a powerful, moving and deeply affecting drama exploring the plight of illegal Kurdish refugees in contemporary France. There is a wonderful irony to the film's title as the French government has passed strict laws that prohibit people from lending assistance to these refugees, also referred to as "clandestines." Shops are banned from serving them, and people are prohibited from sheltering them, under severe penalties ranging from hefty fines to imprisonment. One such refugee is Bilal (played by newcomer Firat Ayverdi), a 17 year old Kurd, who has walked some 4000kms across Europe to reach the coastal town of Calais. Bilal wants to go to England to see his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the English government wants nothing to do with these refugee either. Stringent border security measures have prevented him from being smuggled across the Channel in trucks and ferries. In desperation, Bilal determines that the only way to reach England is to swim across the Channel. Bilal begins to swim laps in a local pool, which is where he meets Simon (Vincent Lindon), a former swimming champion, At first Simon wants nothing to do with Bilal and his mission. But, against his better judgment, Simon soon begins to take pity on the boy and helps him, at the risk of being arrested. Simon also hopes to impress his ex-wife (Audrey Dana), a school teacher with a conscience who sometimes helps run a soup kitchen catering to the illegal refugees on the docks. However, Simon becomes something of a father figure to Bilal, and the relationship between the pair provides a human dimension to the drama. However, Lioret carefully avoids any hint of sentimentality. Newcomer Ayverdi is very affecting, and he gives a very natural and impressive performance as the determined teenager. Lindon is also very good as Simon, and he has a weathered and beaten look that is perfectly suited to his character. Lioret offers up a fairly bleak portrait of life for these illegal immigrants who exist in a sort of limbo around the docks of Calais. He brings a grim authenticity to the scenes of people smuggling, which sometimes end in tragedy. Lioret has used a number of non-professional actors to play the illegal immigrants, and they are quite credible. Welcome is very political in its criticism, and manages to draw subtle parallels with both South Africa's apartheid regime and the persecution of Jews in Germany in the 1930s. The film is also critical of the police and the way they enforce the inhumane laws and deal with the influx of displaced refugees. Welcome addresses an important social issue. It is filled with a sense of hope and humanity and spirit, but it is also suffused with a very palpable sense of anger and disbelief at the repressive immigration policies of the Sarkozy government. The film has stirred up a great deal of controversy in France, where it was screened at a special sitting of Parliament. The film has also been screened for several other European governments, and has won a number of awards for its humanitarian concerns.

Love Above All

[ilpohirvonen · 7/10 · 2 February 2011]

Welcome is a French film, directed by Philippe Lioret, about a 17-year-old Kurdish boy from Iraq who wants to swim across the canal from France to England to get together with his girlfriend. The distance, 32 kilometers, isn't the only problem but Bilal (the boy) can't swim either. Soon he becomes acquainted with a swimming guide, Simon Calmat and an unusual relationship build between them. On the surface Welcome is a statement that all people should be allowed to move freely in the world and that hospitality should never be a crime. But there is much more in it, for better and worse.

At first glance Welcome seems like a film about refugee issues of France, racism and inequality in our society. But as time goes by it grows out to be something more; a film about will power and the ultimate force of love. Why is the swimming tutor ready to risk it all for this youngster? His rationality, sense and own morality are being questioned. Apparently he feels Bilal as his own son whom he never had. The arrival of the boy also makes him question his own life and the love he still has for his ex-wife.

Welcome is quite a good description of the Europe of today; immigration issues, modern hierarchy and inequality. But it has its flaws too. It seems to have more value as an entertainment film than an art-house one. The underestimation of the viewer, at times predictable and conventional structure of dramaturgy are the major flaws of it. But this doesn't make it a bad film at all - these are just flaws that lower the cinematic value of the film.

In the recommendations section of IMDb there is Lorna's Silence (2008) by the Dardenne brothers, an acclaimed Belgian filmmaking duo, and while watching Welcome I was constantly being reminded of it. It's a great film, truly a masterpiece and also deals with current issues; human trafficking and the European identity of today. These two films are quite hard to be compared with each other but their themes resemble each other at times. I recommend you watch that one as well, to my mind its far better than Welcome but it's a completely different type of film; so the comparison is a bit irrelevant. Now back to Welcome.

When the swimming tutor sits in a bar, drinking a beer, a swimming competition is going on TV, and the show reminds him of his own swimming career he once had. In the end when he travels to London to search for Bilal's girlfriend, a football match is going on TV. Earlier in the film, Bilal told the tutor that he wants to play in Manchester United some day that he is quite a runner, a good football player. To my mind this was an excellent detail in the dramaturgy of the film which brought its emotional scale to a new level. Using the television as a motive.

The film starts with a documentary-like introduction when Bilal tries to travel with a group of other refugees in a truck. The hand-held camera-work and the plastic bags the refugees have to put in their heads because of the carbon hydrate inspection characterize it as realism. But then it starts turning into a much more dramatic film with calm editing and stable cinematography. This is an important change in the film's style because in the beginning we see everything from the eyes of Bilal but then, eventually, we start observing the events from the tutor's perspective. This change of perspective is also one of the strongest elements of the film.

Welcome has its clever details and nice cinematic choices in terms of narrative. But, in the end, it was too easy in my opinion. Everything is given to the viewer directly and there is no room for speculation. It's biggest flaws are in conventional structure and in style which reduce its cinematic value. But even that Welcome doesn't hold the highest cinematic value of all it stands out as a good film about Europe of today, immigration issues and last but not least, the love above all.

Another lesson from the French in 'How to Make a Movie'

[brimon28 · 9/10 · 14 March 2010]

This film grabs you from the start. The subtly-lit scenes near the Calais waterfront, where 'illegals' gather for a free feed and the exchange of information on how to get across the Channel to Britain are followed by quieter sequences where the story and the back-story are established. Thus the rhythm of the film develops. The theme is topical, and applicable in many places across the globe where displaced people, some the victims of torture or oppression gather to become victims, often enough, of unfeeling authorities or greedy people-smugglers. Death occurs in unventilated trucks, leaky boats or the undercarriages of trains. But there is hope. We see the work of the volunteers on the food stalls, and we experience the tensions between them. Maybe the story is not new, but this French crew tell the story with compassion that hits you where it hurts. We haven't seen these actors before, but they teach us how to act and eat at the same time. Food is always the specialty of the French film, and here it is done brilliantly. Sub-titles? Of course, but they are accurate and used with restraint, to let the dialogue in French, English and Kurdish give us the message. Don't miss it.

History 277 Review - Depressing film about depressing topics

[lmucha-44574 · 7/10 · 6 April 2018]

Welcome, a film that tells the story of a young Kurdish boy trying to get from Calais to England, does a nice job of depicting an illegal alien's struggle to establish himself in a new world, but has a great deal of white-washing common in "hollywood" style films. The film's main pitfall is its relatively implausible plot: a French divorcee training an illegal immigrant to swim across the English Channel and reunite with his girlfriend from home. Although the characters themselves are deeply moving, the plot felt a tad trite. The film's depiction of women as more emotional, humanistic, and ancillary was disappointing as well. The French swim coach made for a nice character and developed a meaningful relationship with Bilal, the young migrant, but his "sad divorcee" storyline felt like a stale trope. Regardless, the film's tragic ending was both moving and relevant in an increasingly global world.

The Universality of Needs

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 26 April 2011]

Philippe Lioret has written (with Emmanuel Courcol, Olivier Adam, and Serge Frydman) and directed this touching and compelling story of the trials of immigrants attempting to escape war-torn Iraq, reminding us of yet another aspect of the brutality of war. Titled WELCOME, it is anything but, as it demonstrates the averse feelings of the European countries to the plight of immigrants. This is a solid, well written and sculpted story that in the hands of a small cast of excellent actors reaches for the heart of the viewer and finds it.

Simon Calmat (Vincent Lindon) is a French swimming coach in the painful period of signing divorce papers from his wife Marion (Audrey Dana), a socially impassioned woman who serves at the food kitchen in Calais, France, providing nourishment and support for homeless immigrants. Simon discovers a young Kurdish illegal immigrant from Mosul, Iraq, Bilal Kayani (Firat Ayverdi), who has endured torture form the Turks who force him to wear a black sack over his head for an extended period of time until he escapes. In Calais he pays 500 Euros and joins with a group of fellow asylum seekers in an attempt to be smuggled by truck through the English Channel Tunnel, but his memory of the hood experience has made him terrified of wearing the plastic bag over his head required of the 'clandestines' when crossing the borders to avoid the CO2 detectors used by the guards. Bilal's dream is to cross into England where his girlfriend Mina (Derya Ayverdi, Firat's real life sister!) waits, attempting to avoid an arranged marriage her father demands. Largely due to Bilal's inability to keep the plastic bag over his head during the attempted escape, the immigrants are captured and returned to France. It is then that Simon sees him on the street and befriends him, not only accepting him as a swimming pupil (Balil's dream is to swim across the English Channel for Mina) but also sharing his home and food with him. Bilal is polite and grateful and a bond forms between the lonely Simon and Bilal. A nosey neighbor exposes Simon as an illegal alien protector and Bilal runs away to protect Simon's reputation. Knowing that Bilal is determined to swim the English Channel Simon helps as best he can, but the film ends in a surprise that affects everyone who has been involved with the act of humanity to an illegal immigrant.

Vincent Lindon is brilliant as the newly compassionate Simon, and Firat Ayverdi is a very fine new actor who should enjoy a successful future in films: he simply has it all - looks, screen presence, and acting ability. One aspect of the film that makes it so very powerful is the manner in which Loiret explores the souls of Bilal and his wary protector Simon: WELCOME unveils a world of overwhelming forces, both natural and social, that examine the waters of history, forces that may be resisted, but they will not be stopped. This is a film that should be considered imperative watching for every member of society.

Grady Harp

Feel-good film that ignores reality

[ntaylor-28563 · 7/10 · 6 April 2018]

Welcome is a depiction of the harsh experience for many refuges residing in Europe. The film illustrates the struggle of lack of jobs, no permanent shelters, being ignored by society, and having the constant desire to better their own situations. Director Philippe Lioret actively tries to address these concerns that refugees face, however, tends to stretch himself thin by overly focusing on the main French character Simon Calmat. This film is meant to address the common issue: that people are quick to dismiss issues, and are slow to actually take action. Lioret answers this very effectively, having Simon take action in his life regarding the abuse of refugees. Seeing someone take action was heartwarming, especially to see the difference one person can make on the life of a refugee. It inspires others to do the same, not only in regard to the refugee crisis, but in all situations. The film also does an excellent job at bluntly portraying France's hostile attitude towards refugees. One particular moment that stood out was the neighbor attempting to explain why refugees are bad, claiming "they have lice, they steal..." This excuse, likely a common one, is incredibly petty, yet the French government embraces and encourages these attitudes to grow. Where this film lacked is the actual depiction of refugee life. The film selected a unique case where the protagonist gets lucky and befriends a Frenchman willing to care for him. This is not the situation most of the time. Hundreds of other refugees within France suffer much more unfortunate situations, and this was largely not shown. The massive refugee prison, The Jungle, barely made an appearance, the issue of shelter and sustainable food was ignored, and fear of violence from French and other refugees was only lightly touched on. This type of depiction actually makes it appear that refugees largely do not suffer greatly. Although it likely makes for a more feel-good movie, by emphasizing the exception to the case, the director alters the harsh reality of the life of a refugee.

An awful movie that missed the real tragedy of a self-indulgent boy

[sunman88 · 1/10 · 28 February 2011]

In accordance with our prevalent culture, this movie portrays a 17-year old boy who is hell-bent on re-uniting with the 'love of his life', whom he met when he was 'younger' (13-15!). His self-indulgence is testament to our culture of me,me me. You'd expect that from a boy his age but when he meets his 'elderly', played by his swimming coach, one expects some maturity and wisdom in advising the boy of his ill-conceived, misplaced love for someone who he really knew. Especially that the coach himself was going through a divorce. Instead we get this resigned, almost admiring, complicity in aiding this lost boy find his imaginary love. After all, love is all that we seek these days, it is an end in and of itself. The age of Romanticism still rages on fanned up by a Hollywood culture that keeps us all clinging to our moral lowest common denominator.

Unwelcome

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 12 July 2010]

Welcome (2009/I) is a French film co-written and directed by Philippe Lioret. Bilal, played by Firat Ayverdi, is a young Kurdish Iraqi who has made his way to Calais, and is desperately trying to find a way to cross the channel to England. He encounters Simon Calmat (Vincent Lindon), a former swimming champion who is now a swimming instructor. Bilal burns with the desire to get to London. Simon has divorced his wife, and is living a life with no purpose. The strength of the film is found in the contrast between the two men--one of them with resources but no goal, one of them with a goal but no resources.

The drama is played out in a setting where Bilal and other refugees like him are scorned, harassed, and arrested. The French don't want them, the English don't want them, yet there they are.

The question is whether one man's resourcefulness and burning ambition will be enough to allow him to succeed in his quest. Will the other man be roused enough to become part of the solution, despite societal pressures to keep his distance?

We saw this film at the Rochester 360/365 Film Festival. (Dumb name, but great festival.) However, "Welcome" should succeed on the small screen. It's definitely worth finding and seeing.

Beautiful Film

[erinaurielhendry · 9/10 · 7 April 2018]

The film Welcome places the viewer in the midst of a young refugee's struggle to immigrate from France to Britain in order to unite with his young love. The refugee at the center of the story, Bilal, is a young Kurdish man who befriends a Frenchman swimmer by the name of Simon Calmat. Throughout the film, the two men form an unusual bond through which the viewer is exposed to some of the issues surrounding refugee immigration in France. The film's strength lies in its depiction of the relationship between the French citizens and the migrants. Many scenes in the film explore the complicated relationship between the two groups. For example, early in the film Calmat and his soon-to-be-ex-wife enter a grocery store and witness a security guard refuse service to two migrants. Calmat is unmoved by the conformation which suggests that during his time in Calais, he has become numb to these type of interactions. The apathy Calmat originally displays is indicative of how most French citizen have feel about the plight of the refugees. This indifference is the result of the policies and attitudes set forth by the French government which attempts to dehumanize the refugee population to the French citizens in an attempt to reduce the amount of refugees within the state. The film also explores the relationship between relief workers and the French government. The aid workers, who are French citizens, attempt to provide food and water to the migrants. These acts appear to only meet the basic human needs of the refugees, but the French government condemns them as they believe such actions encourage refugees to stay in France. In the film, French immigration officers attempt to shut down the efforts of the aid workers by suggesting they helped Calmat harbor Bilal. The struggle between the French relief workers and the government depicted in the film accurately displays the current relationship of the two groups. It is refreshing to see a film attempt to address such complicated issues. It probes the question of what actions one should take when your basic responsibilities to feed and clothe your neighbors is at odds with the legislature put forth by your government. One issue with the film is how it chooses to portray the character of Bilal. While the film does an admirable job of humanizing the refugee, but it falls prey to the common film ploy of presenting him as the perfect victim and therefore deserving of aide. Bilal always appears to be respectful and is driven by admirable intentions. His undying love for his young girlfriend, Mina, further supports his imagine as the perfect victim. The film could have been improved if Bilal was a more developed character. Perpetuation of the perfect victim ideology suggests that there are only certain refugees worth saving. While the film does engage in some clichés regarding its depiction of Bilal, the film overall is a powerful story that examines the way refugees are treated in a European nation.