Welcome (2009)

This is a very interesting movie. There is so much about immigration in the news today - not just in the U.S. but all over the E.U. as well, that you may find this thought provoking. There is one country lately I have been noticing in the news more than others - France - which I find interesting. I have heard from more than a few people that France is a utopia, with great education systems, retirement, hospital services, la la la. When I say that good usually comes with bad, I am often scoffed at as an accountant who knows nothing about social systems. Well, anyway, that's probably true. If interested, read about the pros and cons of the French social systems for yourself, and maybe educate yourself with a movie or two as well.

One such movie is Welcome. It is set near the English Channel in France. The area has a large underground and unwanted immigrate population - primarily looking for handlers and other ways to get to England and the good life / jobs, etc. They eat at soup kitchens and sleep in the brush, or anyplace else they can find. The local supermarkets try to bar them from entering as the illegals offend the customers. One person asks if French men and women have forgotten their history - what happens when people are barred from stores and buying themselves food and necessities?

Into this situation Bilal arrives. He fled Iraq and has spent the last three months walking, riding under trains, riding under trucks to arrive at the Channel. He wants to get to England to see his girlfriend and maybe play for Manchester United. He is 17, and very innocent, but very determined. He cannot get smuggled in a truck to England, because he has a problem keeping a plastic bag over his head for the duration. He decides to swim the channel, and stops at a local pool to learn how to swim. At the pool, innocence meets disinterested weariness and cynicism in the form of Simon, a former champion swimmer. Simon helps Bilal for his own reasons, and this leads him to trouble in the form of the immigration police, and neighbors who would love to turn him in to those police for helping an immigrant.

In classic movie form, Simon comes back to life, and that comes with a price. Does anything work out for Bilal? For Simon? You should watch and find out.