Le Havre
Dir: Aki Kaurismäki
2011
****
Although Lights in the Dusk had the lush visuals you'd expect from a Aki Kaurismäki film, it didn't quite have the heart of his previous work. I'm not sure his heart was really in it (he has said openly that he finds it hard to muster the effort to make films these days) but thankfully it is a relief to announce that he is back on form with 2011's Le Havre. It's not only visually stunning in Kaurismäki's unique style but it is funny, deadpan and extremely uplifting, again this is what he does best and long may he continue. André Wilms, Kati Outinen and Jean-Pierre Darroussin provide three wonderful performances that match the great visuals, making this one of the most happy films of 2011.