Une saison en France

I fear you, I fear your difference and yet who I truly fear is myself and those parts dormant in the unconscious. This film should be mandatory in schools for new generations to ask essential questions on human rights and the human race.

The jungle of Calais is the conclusion of this very powerful film about human rights, loneliness, love, fatherhood, lost of country and forms of weakness. A film about a father, his friend, his children, his girlfriend, his forbidden right to happiness. Not a case, but a reality. Not about two teachers from Centrafrican Republic but about all immigrants in E. U. and their strange status.

A film like a requisitorium.

Useful, not last for inspired acting.

I recently saw at the TIFF the world premiere of "une saison en France", most recent opus from Mahamat Saleh Haroun staring Sandrine Bonnaire and Ériq Ebouaney as main characters. It is a must-see movie, but not in a "what an entertaining/technical/star-filled movie" sense, in a "this movie is essential and should be shown at school" sense. This is one of those very rare movies presenting the point of view of the nameless and faceless, those whom you cross everyday, likely judge without knowing a single thing about, their past and current struggles, the horror they faced and face, not just at the hands of armed men, but also because of heartless and soulless systems, focused more on order than people. It's a truly humanist movie, a moving movie. It leaves you changed, likely a somewhat better person, not a small accomplishment, especially in our world where we are so centred on our own personal failures and successes. So please go see and make some noise about this movie, one of the best examples of Cinema meeting Social Commentary.

Nineteen months ago, the French teacher Abbas Mahadjir (Eriq Ebouaney), his wife Madeleine (Sandra Nkake), his son Yacine (Ibrahim Burama), his daughter Asma (Aalayna Lys) and his brother, the Literature teacher Etienne (Bibi Tanga), flee from Bangui, in the Central African Republic, to France. They succeed, except Madeleine that is killed by the militia and haunts Abbas in his dreams. He works at the fruit and flowers market, where he met the florist Carole Blaszak (Sandrine Bonnaire), who became his girlfriend, and lives in borrowed and rented apartments in the suburb of Paris. Etienne lives in a shack and works as janitor and in the security of a shop. He dates the French Martine (Léonie Simaga) and is ashamed to let her know where he lives. When the asylum of Abbas is refused by the OFPRA, he applies an appeal that is also rejected, and Abbas is warned that he must leave France within a month. Meanwhile, Etienne's shack in burned to the ground by and his application is also rejected he immolates himself at the immigration office. Abbas goes haywire, loses his job and his apartment and Carole lodges his family and him at home. But now police officers visit her to know the whereabouts of Abbas and she lies and compromises herself with the French justice system.

"Une saison en France", a.k.a. "A Season in France" (2017) is a poignant French drama by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. The plot follows the life of the African migrant Abbas Mahadjir, who lost his previous comfortable life in Bangui expecting to have a better and safer life in France. However, his difficulty to have documents and be accepted by the immigration department drive him to the situation of many immigrants, accepting low-paid unskilled jobs but keeping his dignity. The open-end fits perfectly to the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Temporada na França" ("A Season in France")

In recent years France (like other ex-colonial nations) began to understand that the wave of illegal immigration from Africa and Asia swamping Europe is due in large part to Europe's misdeeds during and after the colonial era. The result was a more open attitude towards refugees. Of course, other motivations included public relations and the need to import foreigners to do the jobs natives avoid. A similar situation: the US vis-à-vis Latin American countries.

Enjoying the "season in France" are Abbas, an African immigrant, his half-brother Etienne and his pre-adolescent children Asma and Yacine. They have been admitted in France temporarily as refugees and must now face the big hurdle, the application for permanent residence. They have fled their country of origin barely with their lives, and face the usual lot of the penniless immigrant: substandard and exploitative living conditions and menial jobs with drastic diminution of status; both Abbas and Etienne were teachers in their home country. The whole is compounded by their dark skin, which unlocks racism lying just below the surface and results in blaming immigrants for every crime in the book including terrorism.

Sandrine Bonnaire plays Polish immigrant Carole, Abbas' love interest. Carole had the same experience years ago but now has citizenship papers. Bonnaire, in her fifties has the same luminous screen presence of her youth and plays an engaging character; Carole is supportive, cheerful and full of resources. What Carole does is very brave; she faces a monstrous French law that threatens five years in jail and a fine of 30.000 euros for "assisting an illegal immigrant." The rest of the actors do a flawless job.

Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has assembled an excellent movie out of these elements. It is simple (in the positive sense of the word) and to the point. It has many scenes full of magic such as the celebration of Carole's birthday by the whole family. Not to be missed.