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WHEN the authorities expose illegal Senegalese immigrant Samba Omar Sy after 10 years surviving working in low-paid jobs, he faces expulsion from France.
The second strand in Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s comedy-drama — they also wrote the script — charts the burgeoning romance between Samba (Omar Sy) and depressive social worker Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who takes on his case when they meet at an immigration centre.
While their odd-couple affair is attractively written and played, there are times when it feels uncomfortably light in the context of the plight of illegal immigrants.
While Samba’s an all too painfully credible character who gives depth to the love affair with Alice, their inevitable one-night stand, while useful in driving the narrative, seems more a convenient plot device than an emotionally inevitable encounter.
The two charming lead performances and Tahar Rahim’s witty mock-South American alien who becomes Samba’s friend decorate an attractive comedy drama. But it certainly could have had a sharper social bite.
