A French gem

Rating: 9/10 (15 August 2013)

This is easily the best and most memorable movie I've seen in a very long time. Its formula is simple: the juxtaposition of two people from two radically different backgrounds who, with time, become the best of friends. And oddly enough, there isn't the initial suspicion or antagonism; they hit it off right away. But the relationship grows and deepens until they become inseparable.
The real strength of the film lies in the characters and the men who play them. One is a sophisticated, literate, older white man who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair; the other a young, lanky, street-savvy black man with naught but the clothes on his back. They have such charisma, such chemistry, it is a tour de force from beginning to end. Particularly the younger man, whose infectious smile and boisterous humour keeps the mood light even in the darker moments.
It's set in France, and you do have to endure subtitles (which are not well done; occasionally the punch line of a joke comes up too soon), but it's well worth it nonetheless. This is the first time I've seen a French film that didn't leave me depressed and suicidal by the end. I hope many more like it will follow.