Samba *** (2014, Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim, Hélène Vincent) – Movie Review

Omar Sy and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as Senegal immigrant Samba and burnt-out immigration executive Alice in this serious-minded French romantic comedy drama. It’s a fresh, most enjoyable movie, with three excellent star performances, and it’s good to see Gainsbourg not suffering too much this time!

Samba’s willing to do whatever it takes to get his working papers to stay in France, while Alice tries to get her life back on track. Fate – and love – draws them together.

At heart it’s an intelligent, suspenseful romantic comedy, and it’s a got a good, smart script. But it’s the sweet Sy and Gainsbourg partnership that makes it work, with a little help from Tahar Rahim as Walid and Hélène Vincent as Marcelle.

The characters are essentially likeable, and that makes the going easy, and so does the fine soundtrack from Ludovic Einaud.

[Spoiler alert] Thank goodness for an improbable happy ending to please all true romantics!

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com