Welcome

Directed by Philippe Lioret. Starring Vincent Lindon, Firat Ayverdi, Audrey Dana 15A cert, Light House, Dublin, 110 min

YOU DO have to (reluctantly) hand it to the French. There are few other Europeans capable of regularly delivering this class of well-crafted, well-acted melodrama. Not exactly an art film, but not tied solely to the mainstream either, this touching melodrama proves that there is no shame in being workmanlike.

Venturing into territory previously occupied by Michael Winterbottom's In This World, the film follows Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), a Kurdish refugee as he attempts to make his way across Europe to meet his girlfriend in London.

After some squalid adventures on the back of a lorry, Bilal finds himself stranded in Calais. Using the municipal pool as much for its shower facilities as for exercise, he encounters Simon (Vincent Lindon), a middle-aged swimming instructor, and embarks on a series of lessons. Gradually, Simon, lonely after his recent separation, realises that his pupil has an absurd scheme in mind.

The veteran Lindon, so good in the recent Anything for Her, and Ayverdi, making his debut, play very well against one another. The two characters represent experience and youthful naivety, and the disparity in the actors' professional experiences shows through in their nicely contrasting performances.

Though an unshowy director, Lioret provides impressive, spooky shots of the busy commerce round Calais and works to establish a resonant sense of place. Welcomeis, however, a rather sentimental piece that wears its worthy intentions a little too conspicuously. It is the sort of film that demands masochistic self-castigation from bourgeois cinemagoers.

None of that is to suggest that the films intentions are insincere or that it ever becomes a drag. The fact that it may be good for you doesn’t mean it’s bad.

WELCOME ***

Directedby Philippe Lioret. StarringVincent Lindon, Firat Ayverdi, Audrey Dana 15A cert, Light House, Dublin, 110 min

GREEN RATING ****:This French character study wouldn't chew up too many of our natural resources: Essentially it's a two-handed character piece, so despite its professional appearance, it would only have needed a relatively small cast and production crew. JG