The Intouchables
French Cinema
"Intouchables" is a wonderful story about friendship and courage of two men who come from totally different backgrounds.
The story is about a white man and a black man. The white man is rich and paralyzed from the neck down; the black man is an ex-con from the projects. Philippe is a millionaire who's interested in art and classical music; while Driss comes from a poor African background, who's interested in pop culture mostly and in bands such as Earth, Wind, and Fire. Driss is really outgoing and becomes really close friends with Philippe. Together they share various stories about their past and end up helping each other.
Director/writer Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano show how small and innocent things can lead to life-changing events. From shaving to a crazy drive through the city, you connect to everything you see on the screen without the feeling any pity. The directing is really well done, and we also really liked the music which made some touching scenes even more touching.
The cinematography shows the people's sight, with artistic blurring and suspensive angles. These angles and camera effects bring you deep into the character of Philippe,He is paralysed beneath his neck, as it feels much like his view. Philippe's character tends to go out into the outer world and the filming helps the audience feel this character.
There are also interesting inquisition of art usually asking the question in a funny way: What is art and how it is useful?
This film is different from the other French language films we have seen so far in many aspects. You can feel sad while laughing. It is inspiring, makes you look into the depth of our lives with a little more hope.