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Touches You

Perfect cast and a good story

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

Historically, the struggle that immigrants had in trying to get to other countries without the right papers was definitely a real struggle especially when they were trying to get to their family. Just so happened that in this case, Bilal was motivated by his love for Mina and his longing for being with her for the rest of his life. Customs were so very strict, where those, who wanted to immigrate, had to sort of in a way smuggle themselves across borders. This was the case, especially in one of the beginning scenes, where Bilal and a group of other men were in a truck trying to get into the UK but Bilal could not breathe with the plastic bag over his head along with the fact that he was tortured with one, in Turkey, so they got caught. Another accurate depiction was through the fact that immigrants in France were labeled aliens. This was the case in many countries for people that were not born in the country they inhabited. Additionally in terms of the scenes and plot of this movie, I was very much expecting a happy ending with Bilal and Mina given that he was willing to put his life on the line trying to swim across the English Channel to reach her. Also, given that Simon was risking his reputation and lifestyle to help Bilal reach his girlfriend in the UK. Even though I am really upset, the fact that it was not what I was expecting, given that Bilal actually ended up dying, made me actually like the movie more since the unexpected happened.

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.

This film deserves appreciation because of its importance and actuality of the topic that concerns. This film has also its high rating because without having a high claim for performance, it manages to rise above a number of titles that have such claim.Before our eyes it is revealed the true story of a boy seeking refuge and his beloved in Europe. With the price of all his efforts, if somewhat naively, he tries to implement custom solutions for the situation in which he is. Right from the start of the film we can discern the different way of thinking that he has and brings him to the fore front of all the others who expect only outside help.The film shows us how strong the power of love is and what are the true values in life. These values can not be given by chance but should be adopted as an internal ideology and its external appearance. Like all motivational films, telling about people who overextend themselves and reach the unattainable, this film goes to its "happy ending", to the point when we are reminded that real life is harsh and bitter and not everything happens like in movies.Therefore, this film I present as inspiration for giving personal example and constant feuding with injustice. Humble but strong, such as many others people, this is a movie for all those who need our help.http://vihrenmitevmovies.blogspot.fr/