I rented this film because it was the first English speaking film from the beautiful and amazing French actress Audrey Tautou. For maybe the first half of the film or so, I thought it was slightly intriguing, but mostly boring. Tautou, while putting in an excellent performance as usual--playing a Turkish immigrant who poses as Italian, no less--really was not the star of this film as the ads suggested. She was really the second billed actress, but the film was advertised with her instead of the star, Chjwetel Ejiofor, due to Tautou's film, Amelie, possibly one of the most well known French films in the United States. (Actually, it's probably the ONLY remotely well known French film in the United States.)
Chjwetel Ejiofor put in an excellent performance as well. And the bulk of the film had me bored to tears. However, towards the end, the overall concept behind the film started to emerge and I became intrigued. The concept is a bit of a secret, so I won't spoil it for you, but I will tell you that it is a creative way to demonstrate the plight of illegal immigrants. The ending, additionally, created a lot more sympathy for the characters, particularly Tautou's character.
Still, the ending and the superb acting were not enough to make up for the rest of the film which was painfully boring. Perhaps my opinion will change on further viewings. But really, Tautou's endearing performance was about the only thing that kept any of my attention throughout the film.
Chjwetel Ejiofor put in an excellent performance as well. And the bulk of the film had me bored to tears. However, towards the end, the overall concept behind the film started to emerge and I became intrigued. The concept is a bit of a secret, so I won't spoil it for you, but I will tell you that it is a creative way to demonstrate the plight of illegal immigrants. The ending, additionally, created a lot more sympathy for the characters, particularly Tautou's character.
Still, the ending and the superb acting were not enough to make up for the rest of the film which was painfully boring. Perhaps my opinion will change on further viewings. But really, Tautou's endearing performance was about the only thing that kept any of my attention throughout the film.