Welcome

Starts Soon

Welcome is an emotionally loaded drama about the father-son bond that develops between a listless, recently divorced Calais swim instructor and a Kurdish boy who desperately wants to learn to swim. Dramatising the stark inhumanity of France's laws regarding illegal immigrants and those who offer them shelter, Welcome was a surprise box office success in France – and the subject of much public debate. The excellent Vincent Lindon is the latest incarnation of a uniquely French movie type;... more the sexy, soulful, no-frills working guy. You can be moved by his Simon, even while you see just how his wife (Audrey Dana) might have yearned for someone a little more forward-looking. A superb director of actors, Philippe Lioret blends his stars with Kurdish amateurs, drawing a potently affecting performance from 17-year old Firat Ayverdi as the ardent, focused Bilal.