Directors: Oliver Nakache, Eric Toledano
Starring: Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny
Running Time: 112 Mins
Certificate: 15.
Extras: Deleted Scenes.
On it’s initial release late last year, critics and casual cinemagoers alike predicted UNTOUCHABLE as a shoe-in for an Oscar Nomination. Fast forward to now, however, and it’s clear as day that their predictions were wrong, as the film missed out on a nod from the Academy. So is UNTOUCHABLE a victim of it’s own hype?
The answer, put simply, is no. Whilst it may have missed out on many awards, prizes and plaudits, Eric Toledano & Olivier Nakache’s drama is a superb, heart-warming film of friendship and hardship, lovingly bought to life by the fantastic performances and chemistry of it’s lead actors, Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy. Based on a true story, the film follows ex-con Driss (Sy) as he finds himself landed with the job of caring for the needs of quadriplegic aristocrat Phillipe (Cluzet). At complete ends of the spectrum to begin with, their friendship soon starts to affect both Phillipe and Driss, as each of them begin to discover a different way of life.
What truly makes UNTOUCHABLE so hard to dislike is it’s warm, understated sense of humour. Whilst other screenwriters would have gone for making the audience cry with this particular story, Toledano & Nakache instead go for making the audience laugh. The result is a set of central and supporting characters who are not only instantly loveable, but also feel completely real. The comedic highlights lie not in any overdone set piece (of which this film has none), but instead within the friendly banter and interplay between Driss & Phillipe. Culminating in an incredibly simple but moving climax, the film succeeds in making us care for two characters who, on paper, sound about as original or interesting as bread and butter. An American remake of the film is (sadly) already in the pipeline, but any remake will certainly have it’s work cut out to replicate the brilliance of this fantastic film.
Simply put, UNTOUCHABLE is one of the best films of 2012, make no mistake. Simple but effective, largely due to it’s two leads and their completely engaging chemistry, the film may not have an Oscar Nomination, but it does have warmth and heart by the bucket load.
Extras: Some so-so Deleted Scenes and that’s pretty much it.
UNTOUCHABLE is released on DVD in the UK February 4th.
