Le Havre

Deadpan humour, 50s rock n roll, a fierce affinity for the underdog, and primary colours you could eat.

Deadpan humour; 50s rock n roll; a fierce affinity for the underdog; and shabby locations, lit up with primary colours you could eat. An Aki Kaurismaki film can be spotted a mile away, but this one – about an elderly shoe-shiner who befriends an African boy on the run from the local police – should win him plenty of new friends. Despite the director’s miserable demeanour his films seem to be getting more optimistic, and this one has a fairy-tale quality with just the right blend of sweet and salty.