“One of the year’s most empathetic and genuine films.”

There are two ways to explore any challenging subject on screen – either it is addressed directly in the most frank terms possible, or it is concealed under layers of allegory in the hopes that the viewer will be able to decipher the underlying meaning. Neither is more relevant than the other, and they tend to be equally impactful when done well. However, there is always something quite interesting about a filmmaker who decides to take a more abstract approach to some hot-button issues, as is the case with Paris Paris, in which Isabelle Tollenaere crafts a fascinating exploration of refugees and population displacement across Europe, a subject that is certainly very relevant to the present situation. As suggested from the title, the film is set in Paris and follows a trio of immigrants who live together in an abandoned apartment building – Yi-En is from China, Junior is from Congo and Hamzah is from Palestine. Each one has their own reasons for choosing France as a sanctuary, but they are united by the shared desire to make it their home, a process that comes with many challenges that are beautifully outlined throughout the film. A film that exists somewhere between an ethnographic documentary and an offbeat dark comedy which feels like it springs from the imagination of Samuel Beckett at times, Paris Paris is a fascinating work, particularly in how it handles a very difficult theme. This becomes the foundation for some of the year’s most insightful social and cultural commentary, far exceeding our initial impression based solely on its premise.

I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of a “city film”, those works in which a specific city (whether well-known or slightly more obscure) becomes the focus of the story, to the point where it can be considered a character in its own right. Such is the case with Paris Paris, the director weaving a detailed portrait of the city and its people. In most cases, it’s a city’s natives who tend to produce the most interesting and thorough views – but there is certainly something to be said about a film that looks at a place through the eyes of outsiders. There’s a distinct difference in how a place is navigated, whether physically or mentally, by those who are not familiar with the customs and traditions, and yet still find themselves becoming a part of the beating heart of this urban space. Paris is a melting pot of cultures, so it is clear why many immigrants would be drawn towards it. To cast as wide a net as possible, Tollenaere works with a trio of protagonists, each one bringing their own unique insights and observations to the story, painting a vibrant portrait of the city through the eyes of people who are working hard to make it their home. The individual reasons why they left their own countries to seek prosperity and sanctuary in Europe are outlined throughout the film, which gives us a glimpse into the immigrant experience as shown through the act of building a community out of lovable misfits, each main character (as well as those on the periphery) adding something special to this poignant curio of a film.

The brilliance of Paris Paris doesn’t come solely from what it is saying, but also the way in which it executes these ideas. Tonally, the film is a bit of a marvel – refugees fleeing their homes and grappling with the bureaucracy of new countries is far from a lighthearted subject, yet the director finds ways to make the film not only moving, but also quite funny at times. Tollenaere balances tender, character-driven drama with a charming sense of irreverent humour, drawn from the simple concept of foreigners trying to integrate into a new environment. While it isn’t quite the wacky, off-the-wall culture-clash comedy that it could’ve been in less refined hands, the film has a genuine sincerity that veers more towards the optimistic than the bleak, a welcome change of pace for a topic that tends to be quite intense. Structurally, we see that the film is also distinctive – in order to balance all three perspectives, the director constructs Paris Paris as a series of vignettes, each one bouncing off one of the protagonists, who are part of each other’s stories (going back to the idea of presenting the film as the story of building a community), but who still have their own unique insights. This all gives the film an unusual tempo, allowing it to move at a specific rhythm that is easily adjusted based on the emotion being communicated in each scene. It can occasionally be slow and reflective, but it never becomes tedious, a result of its introspective, observational structure in which images and dialogue (often presented through voice-over narration, but also being diegetic to the scenes on screen) interweave to create this compelling portrait of the city through the eyes of three men who hope to be able to call it home one day.

Something that you learn over time is that all art is inherently political, which doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be preoccupied with delivering a clear message, or taking a direct stance. It is obvious where the director and her collaborators fall in terms of the debate surrounding refugees in Europe, but the intention here is not to make their opinions known, but rather to invite the audience to meditate on the subject. They do this through presenting us with a simple but evocative story about three men from very different backgrounds seeking out a better life for themselves, by any means necessary. To explore the immigrant experience without becoming unwieldy in terms of political perspective is an interesting approach (and one that could be misunderstood as trivialising the subject had the director not made her intentions clear from the start), serving to anchor this film and make it incredibly moving even at its most irreverent. More than anything else, Paris Paris strives to be a thorough and compassionate view of the lives of refugees, and how they have their own valid reasons for seeking out sanctuary in other countries, while also presenting a vivid picture of the existential obstacles that they face in the process. It doesn’t justify or defend, but instead relies on a deep understanding of the subject matter and sincere interest in telling these stories without becoming too reliant on a heavy-handed agenda, being far more intrigued by the prospect of exploring the innermost recesses of the human condition. It approaches these themes through a dynamic, engaging structure that oscillates between heartfelt humour and meaningful emotions, bringing all these ideas together to form one of the year’s most empathetic and genuine films.