User reviews

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 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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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")

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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