"Hope keeps us going."

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2014)

I didn't know what to expect with the odd sounding title, and I still don't know if it has any application to what occurs in the picture. However the story is a genuinely inspiring one of two individuals from widely disparate backgrounds who decide to give each other a chance. As the movie unfolds, one's own preconceived notions about having a handicap as severe as Philippe's (Francois Cluzet) are challenged. I found it fascinating when he explained that his real handicap was living without a wife rather than being a quadriplegic. I really had to stop and think about that. Omar Sy provides the film's energy with his indomitable spirit; his birthday party dance to Earth, Wind and Fire's 'Boogie Wonderland' was a trip and did a wonderful job of further breaking down barriers between himself and the upper crust acquaintances of Philippe. Had this not been based on a true story, I would have found it hard to believe coming from some writer's creative imagination. Which only further suggests that sometimes reality is truly stranger and more wonderful than fiction.