A Smartly Devised Story with Beautiful Imagery

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2017)

This was one of the first titles I watched after taking a deep dive into the foreign film market. And as a result, I have never looked back in the endless search for more and more "foreign hidden gems".
The Intouchables is a movie which comes out of France. A passionate story directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano which ultimately would become one of the most successful French films to ever hit the box office. You may also know there work from another film titled Samba, another hit which also starred Omar Sy (has also played several smaller roles such as Barry in Jurassic World - 2015).
The general premise is that Philippe has been a lifelong paraplegic who is searching for an everyday caretaker to help him with menial tasks such as showering, shaving, eating, and any inconveniences that he may encounter on a given day. Driss happens to apply for the job, desperately in need of a new source of income. While many would have tossed aside Driss on his past alone (criminal record and seemingly never ending impatience for people), Philippe wants a person who will look at him as more than a handicapped man. He wants a friend and someone who will treat him like he is just as capable as the next.
I quote a line from the film where Philippe is approached by a colleague who is concerned that hiring someone like Driss, a person with a rough background:
Colleague: These street guys have no pity. Philippe: That's what I want.
Antics ensue.
I claim this to be one of my favorite films and gems for several reasons:
1) The chemistry between the two leads, Omar Sy and François Cluzet is perfection. You truly believed these two individuals from polar opposite upbringings had becomes the closest of friends having discovered the beauty and benefits had from learning about one another. And quite frankly, chemistry of this magnitude is a rarity in film nowadays.
2) The imagery was beautiful. Every scene from the nights at dinner or concerts, visiting private art galleries together, snowball fights (that humor could be drawn from having a snowball fight with a paraplegic speaks volumes), Driss helping Philippe with his everyday health needs, all the way to merely feeling like he's just a normal person who also wants to have fun once in a while.
3) The story was told in such a way that keeps us wanting more. Both directors cleverly scatter humor throughout in order to offer the viewer some relief from the dark drama which is drawn out of these two characters with equally different struggles and rough pasts.
I think what ultimately made this entertaining for me was thus: in situations where you have a helpless or handicapped lead (in this case a paraplegic), the first thing I wanted was for a physically capable person to stand up for them in situations where the other is not able to do so themselves.
For example, early on in the film we are shown a situation where Philippe has a neighbor who constantly parks in the front of his drive way. It clearly bothers him but he can't do anything besides wait for the ignorant guy to move out of the way. Driss is now Philippe's right hand man, and upon recognizing the situation, jumps out of the car and gets in the drivers face, yelling for him to move his car and never park there again. You get a sense of satisfaction from this kind of relationship, as well as the developing friendship these two develop for one another as they learn to depend on each other.
I won't ruin the ending for you, but rest assured that it won't disappoint. This is truly a hidden gem for any American, and I cannot recommend this title more highly.
----- 10/10 STARS -------- Review by Searsino -----