Next Year's 'Best Foreign Film' Oscar Winner

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2012)

After missing last year's 'The Help' on principle (the principle being: black people have moved on; why can't Hollywood?), I couldn't help but approach 'Untouchable' with similar trepidation. My preconception was a misconception: It is one of the best films I've seen all year, and is by far the best foreign one. It's about platonic love between polar opposites. It's about hope and happiness.
Set in Paris, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano's heart-warming film stars François Cluzet (a dead ringer for Dustin Hoffman) as Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic widower and Omar Sy as Driss, a brutish ex-offender from a Parisian project.
Looking for someone who will not pity him, Philippe hires Driss as his carer. Driss almost leaves until he sees his lavish quarters – and Magalie, Philippe's sexy auburn-haired secretary, who Driss makes it his mission to bed. Driss does pity Philippe, but never makes the mistake of showing it. Instead, the two make jokes at each other's expense and a bond very quickly (and believably) develops. They introduce each other to their worlds. One is replete with operas, art and literature; the other with girls, spliffs and street knowledge. By the end of the film they are inseparable.
This could easily have been a tale of race, like 'The Help' was, but that is inconsequential in this film. It is purely coincidental that Philippe is white and Driss is black. When Philippe's personnel look disapprovingly at Driss, they do so because of his rough manner, not his colour. One of the film's strengths is that it doesn't mention this detail, which is after all as irrelevant as it being set in France. One thing that ought to be mentioned is that Omar Sy is not just the help in this film; he's the star, commanding the screen with confidence, charm and credibility.
What cautions me from classing this as a perfect film is the few but prominent clichés. Philippe has a daughter who's so much the stereotypical spoiled little girl, and Driss's own family hates him. Also, the setups are overly familiar. Driss scoffs at Philippe's love for classical music and abstract art, but then learns to love Vivaldi and Bach, and then, astonishingly, creates a painting of his own which sells for 11,000 euros! This film is based on real people (Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his carer Abdel Sellou), so these things may be accurate, but this isn't a documentary of their actual lives.
However, I can easily forgive these clichés because they are outnumbered by the many wonderful laugh-out-loud moments. Returning from a hiatus, Driss insists on shaving an unkempt Philippe. He snips away leaving Philippe looking more absurd upon each stroke, leaving him with a hitlerian moustache!
Already 'Untouchable' has achieved a phenomenal level of success. It is making and breaking records across the globe, and is beating such films as 'The Artist' to awards. It has rightly been entered as France's entry for next year's Oscars. It is sure to win.
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