Elias, a young man of indefinite origin is one of the passengers of a rickety boat taking illegal immigrants to Europe. As a Coast Guard cutter approaches, all ditch their documents in the ocean and Elias tries to escape swimming. What follows is a sort of comedic Odyssey. He alights on an island that hosts de luxe tourists and befriends a magician that claims to work in the Lido of Paris and tells Elias to look him up if and when he gets to Paris. From then on, Paris is Elias' mythical objective. He manages to reach the European mainland and proceeds in his journey helped only by his wits, his good looks and his ability to run at dizzying speeds from the police. He has an indestructible good nature, and is helped by some strangers and exploited by others. His journey takes unexpected twists and turns, some very funny, and there is a sort of resolution at the end, perhaps only in Elias' mind.
This being a Costa-Gavras film, we expect (and get) some cutting social comment. The Eden of Paris is not the romantic city of tourist brochures. Squads of police in vans are everywhere, deploy in a few seconds and harass bystanders and passersby on the basis of their skin color or their dress. Jobs, if available, are transitory, exploitative and take advantage of immigrants being unable to seek legal help. And, good samaritans beware: a monstrous French law threatens up to five years in jail and/or a fine of 30,000 euros for "assisting an illegal immigrant". Paris stands out as symbol of Europe, the self appointed Cradle of Western Civilization facing a wave of immigration whose desperate last-chance character is a direct consequence of Europe's centuries long predatory practices and constant warmongering in Africa and elsewhere, the bombing and destruction of Libya as a functioning country being a textbook example,
There have been many recent movies on the plight of illegal immigrants in Europe. Perhaps this one is not up to the best in the genre, and perhaps it is not up to the best in Costa-Gavras filmography, but its comedic and dramatic components mesh well and make a harmonious whole well worth watching.
