Set in the retro environment unique to the Kaurismäki ouevre, this is the marvelous story of a shoeshine guy who rescues an African stowaway from deportation. Marcel, the bootblack in question, comes upon the boy Idrissa while having lunch at the docks one day. Since his neglected wife has been recently admitted to the hospital, he recruits neighboring shopkeepers to help feed the kid and shelter him from nosy cops. Full of sly humor and touching moments, Le Havre offers numerous pleasures, among them the delight of seeing Kaurismäki regulars like Kati Outinen and André Wilms mingling with the hangdog Jean-Pierre Darroussin as a weary detective and Italian singer Roberto Piazza as a performer named Little Bob.

Finland/France 2011, 93 min. Written by Aki Kaurismäki. Photographed by Timo Salminen. With André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Blondin Miguel. In French with subtitles. Janus Films.