WELCOME

France, 2009, 116 minutes, Colour.
Vincent Lindon, Firat Ayverdi, Audrey Dana.
Directed by Philippe Lioret.

A film to be welcomed (and winner of an Ecumenical Jury award in Berlin, 2009).

Xenophobia, whether racially or economically motivated (or both), is an emotional (and irrational) disease that corrodes individuals and societies.

The wars, revolutions and persecutions that marked the 20th century still take their toll. On the other hand, the greater social awareness which the often (justly) maligned media can take a great deal of credit for, means that the phobias can be identified more readily as they surface and can be combated.

Welcome is a helpful contribution to this kind of awareness, especially in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq and the consequent upheaval in that country and in the region. Welcome is obviously an ironic title.

Director, Philippe Loiret, says he opted for a feature film fiction rather than a documentary, even though there is much documentary material throughout the film. It concerns young Iraqi men and boys trudging and getting lifts through Europe to Calais and their so often futile attempts to pay their way and hid in stringently examined trucks to cross the Channel to England.

The French, concerned for years about the retention camps on the coast and refugees' attempts to hide under the Eurostar, have a special force to police solely for the illegals. And illegal it is for local citizens to shelter the refugees and they too are policed as are the volunteers staffing soup kitchens.

This is all there in Welcome.

The fictional narrative focuses on a 17 year old Kurd, Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), who wants to reach England to be with his girlfriend whose family are legal residents in London. Joining the group at Calais, he assumes that it is easy enough (with a fee to a 'handler') to cross to England. Not so.

An athlete and hoping to play for Manchester United, he decides he will swim the Channel and goes to a local pool for lessons. He meets the coach, Simon (Vincent Lindon) who has been a swimming champion but did not reach full potential. He still loves his wife (a soup kitchen manager who chides him about his head in the sand attitudes towards the illegals) who is divorcing him.

The story is emotionally powerful as Simon keeps helping the very polite Bilal, is questioned by the police and finds in Bilal a substitute for the son he never had.

The rest of the film is not easy, as it never could be. At one sad moment, the audience audibly sobbed so much had the characters gotten to them.

A hope would be that Welcome, while not solving any political or economic problems, would get to audience humanity and sense of compassion.

1.The relevance of the film? The 2008 setting? The director’s option for fiction rather than documentary? The effect for the audience, emotional, learning?

2.The background of xenophobia, the 20th century and social change, migrants, revolutions? The responsibility of Europe and its colonial attitudes in the 19th and 20th centuries, refugees from war? The 21st century and Iraq and Afghanistan?

3.The types of xenophobia, racial, economic – as shown in the film?

4.The title, the mat of the aggressive neighbour? The irony, regrets?

5.The arguments about migrants, the objective arguments about economic difficulties, the role of the police? Subjective attitudes and compassion?

6.The London opening, their Kurdish background, lifestyle in London, the close-knit family, going to work, the son and his washing dishes, the father and his being patriarch, the phone calls and the children concealing them, Mina and her hopes? The later dashing of her hopes? The cousin, his restaurant, the father managing it, arranged marriages? The effect on Mina, her phone calls to Bilal?

7.Bilal, his age, the trek from Iraq, his hopes, expectations that it would be easy, finding his friends in Calais? The issue of handlers, the money paid, the men getting into the trucks, the difficulties, stifling, the drivers and their lies, transferring to other trucks, the searching techniques, the dogs, the spying eyes? The CO2 and the bags over the heads? Bilal and his fear of the bag, spoiling the attempt to escape, the men and their angers, his explanation of his eight days with a bag over his head, in court, the plea, his not going to detention?

8.The group of young men, their age, at the shelter? The soup kitchen? The ruthless handlers? The young men stealing to pay, the clashes? Supermarket security and their not being welcome?

9.The police, the reasons for the squad, their manner, raids, interrogations, the tearing of Bilal’s photo? Simon, the police harassment? Their wanting to get the do-gooders and the volunteers?

10.Bilal and his wanting to swim, going to the pool, the meeting with Simon, Simon as a coach, Bilal and his poor swimming, being taught how to breathe and swim? The men going into the pool for the showers? Simon giving Bilal and his friend a lift, the meal, their admiration for Simon? The medals – and the young man stealing, Simon recovering it?

11.Simon and his age, his past, his being alone, love for his ex-wife, the documents for the divorce, at the supermarket with her, watching the security episode, his wife denouncing him? Bilal and the training, inviting him to his house, sheltering him, showing him the wetsuit, Simon at the pool, his assistant, the children and their training? The warnings? Telling him not to swim? Taking him to the channel? The cold water, the long hours? The friendship? The neighbours and their criticism? The police, Bilal getting away? The wife coming for her books, her being desperate about Simon’s behaviour? Simon’s anger, thinking that Bilal had stolen the medal, his apology, giving him his wife’s ring? The phone calls, London? Bilal swimming, Simon contacting the coast guard, saying he was his son? The final attempt at swimming, Bilal’s death, Simon’s grief?

12.Bilal and the effect of not being able to escape, his strength, football background, the phone calls to London, Simon’s anger, his decision to swim? The scenes of him swimming, the coast guard? Eight hundred metre from Dover? His death, the funeral?

13.Mina, the phone call for him not to come, because of the arranged marriage? Her father and his interventions?

14.Simon, the police, questions, charged, the news about Bilal’s death, his going to London, talking with Mina, explaining things, giving her the ring?

15.The background of Calais, the documentary look, the city, the retention camps, the docks, the beach and the ferries continually going past, the coast guard?

16.The realities for migration for these young men – solutions?