History Film / LeHavre

Despite being a Finnish production the film is entirely in French. Marcel Marx is an old man who makes a meager living shining shoes in the port of Le Havre in Normandy. He and his wife Arletty seem to be not that far above homelessness, living in a humble one-room house, but they are well liked by their neighbors. One day Arletty falls ill, goes to the hospital, and gets some very bad news about her health. She elects to keep the bad news a secret from Marcel.

While his wife is in the hospital, Marcel has an entirely different problem. Le Havre, being a major seaport, is a hub for smuggling and trafficking. A guard at the port facility discovers a shipping container full of Africans who were bound for London. The police come to arrest them, but one, a boy named Idrissa who looks like he's in his early teens, escapes. A news crew films the boy's escape, leading to government pressure on the local authorities, led by Inspector Monet, to find and arrest Idrissa.

Despite being a Finnish production the film is entirely in French. Marius is an old man who makes a meager living shining shoes in the port of Le Havre in Normandy. He and his wife Arletty seem to be not that far above homelessness, living in a humble one-room house, but they are well liked by their neighbors. One day Arletty falls ill, goes to the hospital, and gets some very bad news about her health. She elects to keep the bad news a secret from Marius.

While his wife is in the hospital, Marius has an entirely different problem. Le Havre, being a major seaport, is a hub for smuggling and trafficking. A guard at the port facility discovers a shipping container full of Africans who were bound for London. The police come to arrest them, but one, a boy named Idrissa who looks like he's in his early teens, escapes. A news crew films the boy's escape, leading to government pressure on the local authorities, led by Inspector Monet, to find and arrest Idrissa.

Marius is having his lunch the next day when he discovers Idrissa hiding under a dock. He smuggles food to the boy and eventually brings Idrissa into his home. He hides Idrissa from the dragnets led by Inspector Monet, while trying to figure out how to get the boy to London, where his mother is waiting. Meanwhile, he remains ignorant of his wife's dire state of health.

** The local fruit vendor, seeing Marius coming and knowing that Marius is going to steal some of his food, starts frantically pulling down the metal screen to his shop, shouting that he's closed. When Marius says "I can see your feet!", the fruit vendor insists that no, he's at home.
** Marius gets in to see Idrissa's grandfather, locked up in a detention center for refugees, by claiming that he's the man's albino brother, [[ExaggeratedTrope a reporter and a lawyer, and that he's been recording the entire conversation]]. He threatens to sue the warden for discrimination on the basis of color. It works.
* ConspicuousTrenchCoat: The film opens with a comic scene in which Marius, at the ferry terminal, shines the shoes of a shifty looking guy in a Conspicuous Trench Coat with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. Other guys in Conspicuous Trench Coats and fedoras -- StockCostumeTraits for spies, in other words -- lurk about watching the man. When the man is shot to death offscreen, Marius and his buddy Chang just shrug and leave.
* CouldSayItBut: Inspector Monet says that "I couldn't give advice without committing a breach of duty," and then tells Marius that "If I were you," he'd get the boy on a ship out of France ASAP, before the immigration dragnet shows up.

* HeyLetsPutOnAShow: Marius, needing 3000 euro to get Idrissa on a ship that will smuggle him to London, gets local rock band Little Bob to put on a show to raise the cash.
* TheIllegal: Idrissa, a teen boy found in a shipping container, trying to join his mother in London. Also Marius's friend Chang, who reveals that "Chang" isn't his real name and he's been living in France under forged papers for years. There's also an illicit refugee camp at Calais near the coast, where Marius goes to find Idrissa's grandfather.
* KilledOffscreen: The opening scene with Marius shining a spy's shoes ends with the spy being shot to death offscreen while Marius and Chang watch, only mildly interested.

* SurprisinglyHappyEnding: The doctor tells Arletty that she's terminally ill and will need a miracle. The film seems to be setting up a BittersweetEnding in which Marius gets Idrissa away only to find out that his wife has died. Yet somehow, when he comes back to the hospital, Arletty is all better, and they go home together.

** Marius gets in to see Idrissa's grandfather, locked up in a detention center for refugees, by claiming that he's the man's albino brother. He threatens to sue the warden for discrimination on the basis of color. It works.

* DastardlyWhiplash: Monet is dressed as one of these, and [[spoiler: for most of the film]] his actions fit the bill as well.