Finally getting the chance to upload this little post about a film I saw at The Cornerhouse the other day (Sat the 6th of Oct) with the Film Meetup Group, although there was very little of the ‘group’ about them.
‘Untouchable’ (French: Intouchables) is a film about the relationship that develops between a French billionaire wheelchair-bound quadriplegic and a Senegalese from the Parisian projects who becomes his handyman, and later, friend.
The billionaire’s role is played by Francois Cluzet, and the handyman’s by Omar Sy. Both bring something special to the role; it is the genuine warmth and delightful interplay between the two characters that really makes this film work, because the script itself doesn’t wander too far from the predictable. Described as a comedy, I found it was much more than that, a truly multi-dimensional film. Would I recommend you see it? Go now.
One thing that bothered me was learning that the original person on whom the Senegalese character is based (since this is a true-life story) is actually Algerian; did the producers think a Senegalese would play better to the audiences than an Algerian? And is that judgement reflective of current French attitudes? Or is there simply a dearth of talented Algerian actors in France?